BANGKOK: Thailand’s junta said yesterday that it was scrapping a curfew in three major beach resorts to woo back tourists in the wake of last month’s military coup.
The measure will be lifted for Pattaya, Koh Samui and Phuket “to create a favourable climate for tourism,” the military said.
“The rest of the country remains under curfew,” it added. The measure was initially introduced after the May 22 coup for the whole country for 10.00pm until 5.00am, to the dismay of the owners of bars and other late-night businesses.
The junta shortened it to midnight until 4.00am late last month.
Months of bloody political unrest have dealt a heavy blow to the key tourism industry in the “Land of Smiles”, which welcomed a record 26.5 million foreign visitors in 2013.
The army takeover has prompted a flurry of warnings from foreign governments about travelling to the Southeast Asian holiday hotspot.
But for many, life in the kingdom goes on almost as normal and international flights are still in operation, with those travelling to and from airports among the few exempt from the night curfew.
On the day after the coup, airlines saw 5,000 cancellations, compared with roughly 28,000 inbound bookings on May 19, according to Paul Pruangkarn, a spokesperson for the Pacific Asia Travel Association.
The Thai navy chief now in charge of tourism said last week that foreign visitor arrivals fell about 20 percent after the military seized power, but predicted they would soon return.
Hotels and airlines also say they do not expect a lasting impact, noting that it is now the low season anyway.
“After the curfew relaxation the confidence has come back so we have no worries,” said Deepak Ohri, chief executive of Lebua Hotels & Resorts.
AFP
