BANGKOK, 27 December 2013The Tourism Council has made known the Hong Kong government’s recent decision to warn its citizens against travelling to Thailand is expected to cost the kingdom 300 million baht in revenue.
The council said Hong Kong continued to uphold the warning advisory, informing its residents that insurance companies will not extend their policy to cover damages or injuries sustained during their stay in Thailand. The warning will likely be in place until the country’s political situation is stable.
Hong Kong travel agencies have already cancelled all package tours to Bangkok earlier this month as its Security Bureau raised the travel threat level for the capital to red, the second-highest warning. The move saw over 40,000 Hong Kong visitors cancelled their trips to Thailand.
The council said reports of clashes between anti-government protesters and police will affect the tourism market, particularly the young Japanese travelers who may delay their decision to travel to the kingdom by three years.
The Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) warned that if foreign countries continue to issue travel advisories on Thailand, the tourism will face significant loss of income as the number of foreign tourist arrivals is likely to drop by up to 15 percent.
The kingdom attracted a record 22 million tourists last year.
