Govt grateful Siam Paragon shooting not scaring away Chinese tourists
The government said it is thankful that tourists from China are still coming to Thailand despite the shooting in a Bangkok mall in which a Chinese tourist was killed.
“We express our thanks to the Chinese tourists who understand Thailand and have confidence in the Thai government,” government spokesman Chai Wacharonke said on Saturday.
“Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has instructed all relevant state agencies to do their utmost in implementing the improved measures to take care of all tourists and Thais,” the spokesman added.
He also said the government has promised to provide “full security” to foreign tourists coming to Thailand.
On October 3, a 14-year-old boy armed with a modified blank gun fired at shoppers in the Siam Paragon luxury mall, killing two people and injuring five others.
A Chinese tourist and a Myanmar worker were killed, while another Chinese tourist, a Lao national and three Thais were injured.
A 30-year-old Thai woman who had bullet wounds in her head and torso succumbed to her injuries on October 13, becoming a third dead casualty.
The spokesman said on Saturday that data from Airports in Thailand showed that out of 650,000 Chinese who reserved their flights to Thailand later this year, as many as 590,000 have confirmed their flights after the shooting spree.
“There was only a 9.2% drop, which is normal. This shows that Chinese tourists still have unwavering confidence in Thailand,” he said.
The spokesman claimed that under normal circumstances, the difference between reservations of flights and accommodations and actual tourist arrivals was +/-15%.
