Bangkok nurses itself back to tourism health after tumultuous spell

From January to September, Suvarnabhumi Airport welcomed 7.3 million international passengers, an 8.6 per cent increase over the same period last year. The growth was a welcome relief to the city whose tourism had stagnated for nearly three months due to political turmoil that sent May foreign arrivals plunging by 20 per cent over May 2009.

East Asian visitors dominated the tally of arrivals at the airport in the first nine months of the year with a little over three million passengers, a 9.8 per cent hike over the same period in 2009. Of the total, China rebounded significantly, growing at 38 per cent. Hot on its heels was South Korea, whose numbers grew by 23 per cent.

Europe, Thailand’s second largest market, recorded a 7.6 per cent increase, with Russian arrivals skyrocketing at 73.2 per cent. UK numbers dipped 3.9 per cent while German visitors increased by 8.4 per cent. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) continued to promote the Thai capital under the Bangkok Smiles tourist campaign, which it initiated around August/September last year. The campaign focuses on five areas  – Thai culture and festivals, river lifestyle, dining and shopping options, health and wellness activities, and value-for-money products.

Kriengpol Padhanarath, deputy director-general of BMA’s culture, sports and tourism department, said a Bangkok Smiles card was being handed out at BMA kiosks citywide, entitling tourists to reap discounts from more than 1,000 shops and establishments. He was unable, however, to reveal how many of the 100,000 cards had been handed out so far.

The year has seen an assortment of international and local hotels and serviced residences sprouting in the Thai capital. The 333-room Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong opened in February, followed by the 303-room Siam Kempinski Bangkok in July.

Over the next six months, Starwood Hotels and Resorts will introduce three more brands to the city – 260-key Four Points by Sheraton Bangkok Sukhumvit 15 (opening in November), 198-room St Regis Bangkok (January 2011) and 308-room Aloft Bangkok – Sukhumvit 11 (April).

After opening the 216-room Novotel Bangkok Felix Silom in September, Accor is now preparing for the launch of 272-room Ibis Bangkok Riverside in November, 162-room All Seasons Bangkok Victory Monument in December, 380-room Novotel Bangkok Fenix Ploenchit by year-end, and 380-room Novotel Bangkok Impact next February.

Next year, Bangkok will get its first property with pool villas through the opening of the 39-key all-suite The Siam. The next few years will see even more brands making their Bangkok debut, including Langham, Ritz-Carlton, Starwood’s W, Wyndham’s Ramada and InterContinental Hotels Group’s Indigo. Occupancy in city centre hotels has crept up slightly from the 30 per cent recorded in late-June, after a spell of single- to poor double-digit rates during the troubled months.
 
Thai Hotels Association vice president Surapong Techaruvichit expects Bangkok hotels to enjoy 65 per cent occupancy in the fourth quarter, down from the 80 per cent or more during the same period in the 2007 and 2008 boom years. Rates this year remained stagnant due to oversupply and sluggish demand, according to Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok sales director Pipat Patthananusom. “Rates in 2011 would depend on travellers’ confidence in Bangkok as a destination,” he said.

The Airports of Thailand (AOT) has started the second phase of Suvarnabhumi Airport’s expansion. Slated for completion in 2016, the 62.5 billion baht (US$2.1 billion) development will increase the airport’s annual passenger throughput to 60 million, from the current 45 million.

AOT was also mulling the extension of discounts on landing and parking fees, said its senior executive vice president business development and marketing Nitinai Sirismatthakarn. AOT’s present discount package, expiring on December 31, offers 15 per cent discount on landing fee and 50 per cent on parking fee for every flight of airlines that signed the concession contract before March 31.

Sourced=ttgasia