Border row with Cambodia not hurting tourism

The current argument over soverฌeignty claims between Thailand and Cambodia will not spill over into tourism, the Thai Travel Agents Association said yesterday.

"More than 80 per cent of Thai tourists go to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat, which is far from the shared borฌder in Sa Kaew province, which is the current hot issue," said Charoen Wangananont, president of the TTAA.Border trade at Rong Kluea in the same province has not yet suffered from the controversy, he said. Many Thais are still doing business there and crossing into Cambodia as usual.

However, some visitors have reportedly shunned Rong Kluea after hearing about the conflict.Airlines are operating as usual between Thailand and Cambodia while outbound tours to Cambodia remain as planned.Seven Thais, including one Bangkok MP, have been charged by Cambodia with illegal entry.Charoen said locals were expected to swarm into Cambodia after the neighbouring country revoked its visa requirement for Thai tourists starting last Saturday.

This year, the outbound business is forecast to grow by 8-9 per cent, mainly on the strength of the Thai currency. Thais favourite Asian destinations are mainland China, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea.Last year, 5.2 million Thais travelled overseas, with 3.5 million going by air and 1.7 million by land.

Source = nationmultimedia