The Tourism Authority in Thailand expects that the next Songkran festival in the country will generate more tourism revenues than it was last year, despite the expectations that the March 28 earthquake has led to the distinction of tourist expatriates to the Kingdom.
The 7.7 -year -old earthquake, which was placed in the neighboring Myanmar, caused a building under construction near the famous Chateoshak market in Bangkok, which raised questions about Safety of high architecture in Thailand.
However, the Tourism Authority was deployed in Thailand in a press statement ThursdayHe said that the multi-day festival occurred in mid-April-largest in the country-26.5 billion Thai packets ($ 763 million) in tourism revenues, an increase of 8 % on an annual basis.
From this, an estimated 7.3 billion pace will come from about 476,000 international arrival, according to the statement.
Thailand The Ministry of Tourism has also doubled in its foreign arrival expectations in 2025, when it is expected to reach about 38 million visitors this year. According to Reuters.
While more than 1,000 hotel rooms were canceled in the wake of the direct earthquake, the impact of the natural disaster on tourism in the short term in nature was expected to be, according to the report.
However, the Thai Hotels Association said that it expects the earthquake to affect the “tourism atmosphere” during the Songperran 2025 festival, according to Google’s translation of the local media report Association related to its Facebook page.
This event, which is characterized by the throat of water, may be happiness in the streets throughout the country, “more abandoned than it was in the past two years,” according to the report, which stated that the association expects a decrease of at least 10 % to 15 % in tourism income in the next two weeks, before returning to normal after about two weeks.
The report said: “The collapse of a building in the Chatoshak viral region has become on the Internet, which raised questions about safety in Thailand. Therefore, it is extremely important to build confidence urgently among tourists during this year’s Songcran Festival,” the report said.
Raafa to fears
In the wake of the direct earthquake, Thai officials rushed to reduce tourist concerns.
In a common statement post -Earthquake made by the real estate and financial real estate sector in Thailand, the Chairman of the Union of Thai Industries, Kriegekrai Thiennukul, said that Thailand is still a safe tourist destination, with government officials who keep monitoring the hand conditions of conditions, conducting comprehensive inspections to build on safety, and providing support For tourism.
in The same statement“All the examinations that have been examined show resistance to the earthquake, as they were designed according to the current seismic engineering standards,” said Thailand, head of the organizational council, Thailand.
Located on the 64th floor of Bangkok Tower.
Reuters So Zeya Tun
However, some hotels contacted the guests and employees to calm concerns about the safety of their buildings.
Narawadee Balert, President and CEO of Lebua Hotels & Resorts, issued a statement that his site was examined in Bangkok State Tower and “Engineers confirmed that the earthquake had no impact on the structural safety of the building.”
“Starting today, our website will be updated daily with actual safety updates … You will also find engineering reports, historical construction details and visual documentation showing how the Lebua was originally built to withstand wind loads and seismic activity.”
Thailand tries to calm fears from Chinese travelers for years – But for a different reason. The movie “No More Bets” Fantasy “2023” is depicted by no more bets, “a Chinese couple attracted by their merchants in Southeast Asia by human travelers – a fictional plot that reflects real life when actor Wang Xing was kidnapped in Thailand in January.
Stay in the course
Singaporean Moyong was at a restaurant in the Chinese neighborhood in Bangkok when the earthquake was hit.
“The water in the cups was moving, and all ceiling lamps swing,” he said. “On the outside … the birds were flying, the dogs were barking, and one by one, the neighborhood was warned.”
He said that the offices and stores were closed, as its hotel did, to conduct tests for the building. He added that he got a foot massage and returned to his hotel when he was reopened.
He said that friends were traveling with them “he did not change their plans at all, especially when most services resumed the next day.”
The hospitality industry in Thailand hopes that others will follow, as the country has the attention and reservations stimulated by the third season of the HBO “The White Lotus”, which was mainly filmed in Koh Samui.
It is also expected that the country will attract more visitors this year after that Gay marriage codification in JanuaryWhich is scheduled to create the country as a regional wedding site for gay couples.
In 2024, the country welcomed about 35 million international tourists – about 5 million of the 2019 numbers, according to the World Bank.
Bella Stodart of CNBC contributed to this report.
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