Floods in the North have little impact on foreign tourist plans, says TAT
Tourism numbers generally lower at this time of the year
The ongoing flood situation in several provinces in the northern region has had little to no impact on the plans of foreign tourists, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said.
Four tourist provinces in the North – Chiang Rai, Phayao, Phrae and Nan – have reported flooding in several areas during August 22-28, the TAT said.
A TAT survey revealed that only a small number of tourists have cancelled their trips to Chiang Rai due to the flood, TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said, adding that August and September were the “green season” for the North, or the rainy season, which is not popular among foreign visitors.
“Foreign arrivals tend to drop during this period due to unfavourable weather,” she said. “Another reason behind this is the end of the summer school break in several Asian countries, including China.”
Thapanee added that popular tourist destinations such as Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and Hat Yai were still not affected by the floods and could therefore welcome foreign tourists.
The survey also found that there were no travel warnings to Thailand due to the floods in foreign media, she said.
The governor said she had ordered all overseas offices of the TAT to communicate the latest factual information to foreign audiences regarding the flood situation in Thailand, aiming to promote visits to areas not affected by floods.
The offices were also told to communicate the government’s measures and efforts in tackling the flood situation and restoring normalcy to the public, industrial and tourism sectors as soon as possible.
