Thailand falls short of target

BANGKOK Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports estimates international tourists arrivals to Thailand will fall short of the 2014 target, closing the year with 25.5 million trips.
Tourism ministry permanent secretary, Suwat Sithilaw, said foreign visits to Thailand, this year, were forecast to reach 28 million visits, but that figure was set before martial law was declared and a military coup ousted a civilian government 22 May. The decline will see revenue fall to THB1.8 trillion down from THB2 trillion in income.
“The country polical instability was a key factor that slowed arrivals,” he said.
But there is considerable optimism that tourism will recover fast after the military-led government cracked down on mafia style operations that troubled major beach resorts. It also cleaned up the streets of Bangkok, limiting the times and spaces hawkers could occupy on pavements in tourist districts.
The ministry hopes income from tourism will reach THB2.2 trillion next year as targeted and that tourism will be back on track to attract 28 million.
What the ministry does not talk about is sustainability or whether the demand to raise tourist arrivals has already surpassed the carrying capacity at popular resorts. There are no restrictions on development and the more hotels are due to open regardless of the impact on communitiesd or the environment. This trend is particularly painful for Samui Island where there is an accute shortage of water and mountains of untreated garbage.
Meanwhile, leaders in the private sector have encouraged the National Council for Peace and Order to consider lifting the martial law in tourism areas.
The cancellation of martial law would have a positive impact on Thailand’s tourism sector during the fourth quarter of this year, but it could also send a signal to political factions to renew their activities that could encourage protests and disruption in the capital, which would have a negative impact on tourism.

sourced:ttrweekly.com