by Reinhard Hohler, Chiang Mai (26.10.2011)
Up to 143 prominent tourism sites in 30 provinces have been damaged by the ongoing floods, resulting in at least 10 billion baht in lost revenue to date, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry.
The ministry plans to team up with the private sector to set up a crisis management centre to assist victims as well tourism operators. The centre will be opened within this week.
Floodwaters swollen by a number of storms have inundated several historic sites in Ayutthaya province, as well as attractions in nearby provinces.
The ministry said key tourism destinations that had suffered severe impact included Koh Kret in Nonthaburi; Kao Hong Market in Bang Pla Ma, Suphan Buri; and the Portuguese Village in Ayutthaya.
Vice-minister Sombat Kuruphan said that the losses were calculated over a period of 20 days.
He said the ministry had also decided to postpone the launch of its 1.3-billion-baht campaign, Miracle Thailand Year, previously scheduled to run from November 2011 to early 2012.
According to Mr Sombat, the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s post-flood measures include promotional campaigns and a personal income tax deduction for travellers who spend a total of 15,000 baht per trip. Affected tourism operators can tap the 250 billion baht in loans the government has set aside to help SMEs.
Details of these measures will be discussed further.
Mr Sombat said restoration of the tourism sites should be done quickly, alongside promotional campaigns to bring back tourists.
He said that in fiscal 2012 which began this month, the ministry had a budget of 15.59 billion baht, down from 16.74 billion in the previous fiscal year.
TAT will have a budget of five billion baht to promote local tourism-related businesses. Source: Bangkok Post