BANGKOK, 29 May 2014 – The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has held talks with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports in a bid to find measures for stimulating the Thai tourism sector and propping up the confidence of foreign travelers.
After his meeting with the Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Sports and relevant officials, Deputy NCPO Chief Adm Narong Pipattanasai stated that the discussion was aimed to conclude on how to revive the domestic tourism in the wake of the political crisis. He cited the NCPO’s recent decision to shorten the curfew hours to between midnight and 4 am as an initial measure to alleviate anxiety among residents and tourists.
To ensure that tourism activities could go on as usual, the Deputy NCPO Chief hinted a possibility of cancelling the curfew in selected areas, especially tourist destinations, where the situation was peaceful. As for the restoration of confidence, he said vigorous PR campaigns might have to be adopted while world-famous figures might be invited to take a trip to Thailand as a way to boost the country’s image.
Although the end of the year is drawing closer, Adm Narong pledged that the NCPO would do its best to help the Tourism and Sports Ministry achieve its annual revenue target of 2 trillion baht. In the meantime, next year’s target of 2.2 trillion baht would also remain unchanged.
