BANGKOK, 5 May 2012 – The Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) has confirmed that, despite the ongoing conflict surrounding the reconciliation bill, tourists are still traveling to Thailand as normal, while imploring the government and the opposition to truly reconcile to prevent violence.
ATTA Chairman Sitdiwat Cheevarattanaporn said that even though many overseas travel agencies are beginning to worry about the political situation in Thailand, most tourists have yet to modify or cancel their travel plans to the country.
However, he admitted that the political rallies taking place at present are a negative factor which destroys the confidence of tourists.
The tourism sector, thus, calls for the government and the opposition to adopt a true reconciliation measure to prevent more violence from occurring in the country.
Mr. Sitdiwat added that if the conflict escalates into violence, it will be hard for Thailand to continue competing in the tourism market. However, if the government succeeds in containing the situation, Thailand still has a chance to demonstrate its potentials in tourism to the global community.
