Dubai: Thailand is ramping up its efforts to attract tourists from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries following the recent lifting of a night-time curfew, which was imposed after a military coup last month.

Following the lifting of the curfew on June 13, tourism-related businesses in the country have resumed normal operations, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The lifting of the curfew is likely to boost tourism in Thailand.

Before the May 22 coup, Thailand was mired in seven months of sometimes violent street protests aimed at ousting former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra which has scared away tourists. Ongoing protests led many governments, including the UAE government, to issue travel warnings for Thailand. The UAE has issued two Thailand travel advisories so far this year.

Even as the country’s tourism outlook brightens, it could take time to bring tourists back. The tourism authority expects international visitor numbers to reach 25.6 million this year, a slight drop from 26.5 million in 2013. Revenue, however, is expected to rise by 2.18 per cent to $38.4 billion.

Visitors from the UAE are expected to spend 66,470.59 Thai Baht (Dh7,513) per trip this year, up 6.22 per cent from 62,575.94 Thai Baht in 2013, according to TAT.

 

Honeymoon, wedding destinations

In an effort to attract tourists from the region this year, Thailand will focus on promoting its honeymoon and wedding destinations in the northern and southern parts of the country.

Phuket is a popular holiday destination for GCC travellers. International arrivals to the island rose 6.9 per cent to 962,953 visitors, according to information on TAT’s website, quoting a report by CBRE.

Bookings from the UAE to Thailand have plummeted 50 per cent in the first six months of the year compared to the same period in 2013, said Kulwant Singh, managing director of Lama Group, a destination management company.

Travel from the UAE to Thailand is expected to increase in July and August, according to Manu Mehrotra, general manager at Al Tayer Travel Agency. “People who cancelled their plans or thought twice about them [due to the curfew] would go ahead with plans [following the lifting of the curfew],” Mehrotra said.

Meanwhile, Thailand will refocus on “high-end markets,” said Chalermsak Suranant, TAT’s director in Dubai and the Middle East.

Also, TAT has organised the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale, which offers deals for tourists. It will run until September 30. Participating in the sale are more than 15,000 shopping malls, department stores, brand-name outlets, and restaurants in the country.

In the first five months of the year, Thailand welcomed 10.36 million tourists, according to the Department of Tourism. Of those, 212, 756 visitors came from the Middle East and 34, 078 from the UAE.

Suranant says that while there have been declines in arrivals from a number of short-haul markets, others have been doing well this year. For instance, arrivals from the Middle East grew by 17.59 per cent in April.

Last year, 681, 173 tourists arrived from the Middle East, of those 124,000 were from the UAE, according to Suranant.