Thailand Riots Wreaking Havoc on Travel
Thursday, April 16th, 2009
Many countries are issuing warnings to their residents caught in the troubles of Thailand. Some recommended their nationals to stay indoors until the problems calm. Other countries recommended that their citizens simply stay away from any colors that might spark controversy. At least one country, South Korea, has urged its citizens to return to their homes in South Korea if their reasons for travel were not urgent.Anti-government protesters and soldiers have been having increasing showdowns (in numbers and in violence) over the last several days. There are two different factions of the protestors (one wears yellow and one wears red) which is the reason governments are recommending that citizens remaining in Thailand avoid these two colors.
Many governments are offering regular security updates on their websites and most are recommending that if travel to Thailand can be postponed then it should be. Those travelers already in the region are encouraged to stay away from the areas of protest and to return home as soon as possible.
The riots come during a time when tourists and locals gather to celebrate the water festival. The businessmen in the region are concerned that the troubles today will translate into less travel in the future because tourists dealing with the troubles caused by the riots may not return.
The recent riots are not the first trouble caused by protestors. Just a few months back rival groups of protestors shut down the two airports in Bangkok for an entire week. The troubles caused around 300,000 travelers to be stranded in the region.
Tourists seem to be heeding the warnings of their respective governments. Around 80 percent of the tourists have already checked out and more are expected to follow. Experts are predicting that the tourism industry in Thailand could fall by around 5 million visitors this year.
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