Political Instability Keeps Vietnam Tourists away from Thailand

Vietnamese travel firms said the number of Vietnamese travelers to Thailand has decreased by 20 per cent due to political instability in the country.

 

Vietravel’s representative said the company can still sell one tour to Thailand a day (six days and five nights). However, he said, the traveler numbers have been decreasing, each group comprising 30 travelers instead of 50 as previously seen.

 

The representative said the decreases in the number of Vietnamese travelers to Thailand began several weeks ago since there is information about political instability in Thailand.

 

Representative from Thai International Airways Office in Vietnam also said the number of passengers on HCM City – Bangkok flights has been decreasing.

 

According to the Thailand Administration of Tourism (TAT), in 2006, Thailand received some 19,000 Vietnamese travelers to the country. Meanwhile, according to statistics released by Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok, in February 2007, some 6,549 Vietnamese people arrived in Thailand through the international airport. In January 2007, only 5,843 Vietnamese travelers arrived in Thailand.

 

However, Tuoi tre newspaper reported that big Thai tourism points in Bangkok and Pattaya are still crowded on weekends, while entertainment venues and shopping centers in the Thai capital are still full of visitors and there are no military or police officers present. (VietNamNet)