Red Shirts Protest Costs Thailand Tourism Over US$1.5 Billion

26 May 2010 2135 | World Travel News

"Red- shirts" protest costs Thailand tourism at least 50 billion baht (about US$1.54 billion), said Chairman of Thailand Tourist Association Muslin Sukpatnarakul.

Speaking after an assessment meeting with Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), he said the number of foreign tourists started to decline since March and then dropped sharply after most foreign embassies had warned their nationals against visiting Thailand during the protest.

The protest, which finally turned into confrontation and clashes between the protestors and the troops, who carried out dispersion operation on May 19, reported Thai News Agency. He added that Chinese tourists' revoking of chartered group tours had resulted in tourist number plunge by 40 percent in mid May.

While, in May, Thailand Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said that advance booking to Phuket, a popular tourism attraction in Andaman Sea, dropped by as much as 12 percent. From March 12 to May 19, Bangkok had been seized by 'Red-shirts' anti-government rally calling for the removal of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva administration and snap election. The rally was then dispersed by troops last week.

There had been 88 dead, 1,885 injured during the clashes between the red-shirts and the security forces since March 12, with 17 still in ICU, said the Public Health Ministry Monday. Some buildings in Bangkok, including the high-end shopping center Central World, were torched in the arson attacks on May 19 and 20 by some angry protestors who refuse to heel the order of ending rally.

Sourced=BERNAMA