Although anti-government protests are continuing in Thailand, the protestors have left major roads in Bangkok and consolidated all action at Lumpini Park.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), travel to the country is still going ahead despite the political protests. “In fact, stats show that there was a 51,58% increase in South Africans travelling to Thailand in January 2014 [compared with 2013],” says a spokesperson.
Marketing representative for Thai International Airways South Africa, Tom Liangman, says while a few passengers have postponed their trips, the majority are travelling to other parts of Thailand, avoiding Bangkok.
“Thai operates as normal and this situation is not affecting the airport’s operation. The other parts of Thailand such as Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui still welcome visitors.”
However, the TAT spokesperson says there is little reason for travellers to avoid Bangkok altogether as the protest sites are easily avoidable and that no tourists have been targeted.
Helen Fraser of Development Promotions says there doesn’t seem to be any concern regarding the political unrest in the country and that no cancellations have been received as a result of the situation. “The operators handling tours on the ground there know exactly what to do to ensure the safety of the tourists and we have received no warnings to stay away,” she adds.
