Tourism industry uncertainty as Thai army declares martial law

With Thailand’s armed forces having declared martial law after six months of violent unrest and anti-government demonstrations, tourism industry leaders are moving to reassure international visitors to the country that Thailand is safe to visit.

However, visitor numbers at Bangkok's bustling attractions and popular tourism destinations including Phuket and Pattaya are dipping with the number of foreigners arriving in Thailand dropping 4.9% in the first four months of 2014 from a year earlier to 8.62 million

With tourism accounting for as much as 10% of gross domestic product, fears are rising that visitor numbers to the country may fall 5% this year, the biggest drop since 2009.

Mario Hardy, Chief Operations Officer at the Bangkok-based Pacific Asia Travel, which made the visitor forecast, stated “it's not good for Bangkok and not good for tourism in Thailand. Tourism is a huge income (earner) for the country, so this is not helping.”

The army imposed martial law nationwide after months of political turmoil that brought down the government and tipped the economy into a contraction. It has made it clear that the move is “to keep law and order” and insisted it was not a military coup

With Bangkok having been most affected by the political unrest, tourism leaders may well welcome a move that restores stability to the country and stops the waves of street protests in the city.

Currently, attractions in Bangkok remain open

News of the imposition of martial law came as the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) prepared to launch a range of tactical campaigns and special tourism activities for the Europe and Middle East markets “to retain tourists’ confidence and ensure the growth of the country’s tourism industry, as part of the plans to combat recent challenges and setbacks.”

TAT Governor Thawatchai Arunyik said the overall European market was holding up this year in the face of “several volatile factors including the ongoing domestic political situation”.

However, the Middle East market, in contrast, had stagnated.

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