The flood situation in Thailand has dampened the travel plans of Indians who’d intended vacationing there.
Bookings to Thailand have been cancelled on a large scale, from 20 to 30 per cent of the total in the past week, according to tour operators. Several hundreds are believed to have deferred their Thai holiday plans. As for package deals, combining airfare, hotel accommodation, and city travel, there has been a 50-60 per cent drop in the enquiries for Thailand.
“In the past week, there is a major drop in the interest level towards Thailand among travellers,” said Arjun Sharma, managing director, Le Passage to India. “We are suggesting avoiding Thailand, since chances of getting stranded are very high. One can get water-borne diseases. It is a natural calamity, so you never know which way things can turn.”
International flights are still operating efficiently from Suvarnabhumi Airport in the country’s capital, the main gateway. Thailand Tourism Authority has said that Suvarnabhumi, used by 120 international and domestic airlines, remains open.
It is handling 76 flights per hour, including all scheduled international arrivals and departures. This airport is also the main connector for tourist destinations through Thailand such as Phuket, Chiang Mai and Surat Thani. However, Don Mueang, the old international airport, about 30 km northeast of Suvarnabhumi, has been closed until November 1.
“Southeast Asian destinations mostly attract the first-time traveller. We are getting a lot of queries on safety and we are only advising people to avoid islands and coastal areas,” said Subhash Goyal, chairman, Stic Travel Group.
While enquiries are coming for options, travel agencies are pushing for destinations which can fall into the same budget like Malaysia, Macau, and Singapore.
In 2010, Thailand received 791,185 visitors from India. Their tourism authority has been targeting a 15 per cent growth in numbers from India for 2011, aiming to cross the million-mark by 2013 . Thailand recorded an overall tourist arrival of 15.8 million last year.