Thailand’s European high-season tourism market is down an estimated 20% to 30% year over year, and a wave of flight threats may add to the pressure, a tourism official said.
Thanet Supornsahasrungsi told the Bangkok Post that the high-season market had declined by that amount. He traced the weakness mainly to pricier air travel and less confidence in Middle Eastern stopovers, which he said often cost less than direct flights. Thanet warned that conflict uncertainty and recent threat alerts could further discourage long-haul trips.
People who had already bought tickets were likely to travel, Thanet said, because replacement tickets at the same price could be difficult to find during peak season. He said strong Russian demand in Pattaya would not be enough to sustain the tourism industry if it relied on a single market.
The Bangkok Post reported that nearly 30 flights were affected on Thursday, Nov. 5, and landed safely. The Independent separately reported more than a dozen flights targeted that day, involving services to and from the United Kingdom, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Finland, Bulgaria, Spain and Denmark. It said all planes landed safely and no explosive devices had been found by Friday. A France 24 tally counted at least 27 affected flights through Nov. 5, according to EconoTimes’ earlier coverage of the tally.
European Commission Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said the European Union was in contact with affected member states and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and had activated a system to share aviation-security information. He said national investigations were continuing and authorities had not determined whether the incidents were connected.
The Bangkok Post also reported that Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul instructed the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to broaden its airline marketing support using its current annual allocation. The ministry could later seek central-budget funds from the Cabinet if more support was needed, the paper reported.
