Upheaval leads to slower bookings, cancellation queries

Friday's earthquake has struck the Thai tourism industry, leading to slow bookings for the upcoming Songkran holiday, while airlines have started receiving inquiries for refunds and cancellations.

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Tourism and Sports Minister Surawang Thienthong yesterday raised the impact of the earthquake on tourism with the tourism sector, while the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) plans to issue a list of qualified hotels following safety inspections for foreign tourists.

Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, president of the Thai Hotels Association (THA), said most hotels in Bangkok are safe and have been inspected by an engineer.

“The Department of Provincial Administration has asked hotel operators to examine the structural stability and safety standards of their buildings as required by the hotel regulations and report back to the department, since hotels are considered to be a public building and are used by many locals and tourists.

It also indicated that if a hotel was damaged, the operator must notify the department’s registrar within 15 days of the incident.

He said he is more concerned about the safety of tourists who booked unlicensed accommodation in case unregistered hotels are hit in the future.