Dubai: Thai officials played down their country's political turmoil with the reassurance that it was business as usual for most of the country's tourism industry and that visitor numbers, particularly from the Middle East, are on the rise.
"Most of life in Thailand carries on as normal, tourism is not the target of the unrest," said Suraphon Svetasreni, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
Red and yellow shirts have set up camp mainly in two areas of Bangkok, Ratchaprasong and Silom. Svetasreni said that popular areas like the riverside hotels, shopping malls and hospitals remained open for business.
Minister of Tourism and Sports Chumpol Silapa-Archa believes that the deal offered by the Prime Minister, elections in November, could see the current upheaval disappearing within two weeks. The minister emphasised that the situation's effect on the economy in general was limited.
"We accept the psychological effect the unrest is giving people: the impression that it is not safe, although it is, when they watch the news around the world.
"But as the leader of one of the political parties I believe and hope that red, yellow shirts and the government will shake hands soon for the benefit of the country and the king everyone respects."
Free insurance
Whether the unrest will end now or later, the country has taken steps to ensure that tourists are covered by medical insurance. Their own could be refused because of individual government warnings.
The free visitor insurance scheme covers up to $30,000 (Dh110,166) in claims applicable to disastrous events until the end of March 2011.
Tourist visa fees will also be waived until that time to attract visitors. Many of them come from the Middle East, medical tourism being a favourite, the reason for 59 per cent of visitors to Thailand from this region. Of those, 35 per cent are UAE and 16 per cent Omani residents .
"Middle Eastern tourists greatly contribute to the growth of our tourism sector," the minister said.
Arrivals in Thailand from the Middle East were five per cent higher in 2009 to over 370,000 and 100,000 have already visited the country in the first two month of this year. The top source markets are three GCC countries — the UAE with 84,000, Kuwait with 44,500 and Oman with 41,000.
Svetasreni attributed the success partly to the fact that Thailand allows citizens from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE to enter the country without a visa. And with over 110 flights per week and 12 airlines to choose from, it is easy to get to Thailand from the region.
"Of course we had lower numbers of tourist arrivals in April, but we still have the rest of this year to catch up to increase the numbers of last year. Last year we closed the airport due to the prolonged crisis and we still had more tourists than in 2008 in the end," Silapa-Archa said.
Thailand offers a lot more than quality affordable medical attention. Its jungles, unspoilt beaches and shopping make it an all-round destination.
This gained the country 40 million tourists and $16 billion in tourism revenue in 2009, but the country's authorities do not intend to sit on their laurels.
Shopping festival
The government has organised low interest loans and the extension of payment periods for small and medium tourism enterprises.
The Thai answer to Dubai's DSF is the Thailand Shopping Festival taking place in June and July this year.
Millions of dollars are being invested in halal food products for export and restaurants to keep Muslim visitors happy. Private luxury villas are available for GCC families looking for privacy.
