MR JEREMY Xu, 28, and his two friends are among Singaporeans who are avoiding Bangkok even though the siege on Suvarnabhumi International Airport is over.
Mr Xu, a writer, and his friends had planned to travel to Laos via Bangkok yesterday to start a 12-day vacation.
And when the siege was on, Tiger Airways offered to transfer all of them to a flight to Hanoi for free.
He said: 'I had paid $100 for the ticket, including taxes, as it was a promotional fare. The airline said the transfer was free of charge, so I agreed.'
He and his friends had plans to take a train to Laotian capital Vientiane from Bangkok, but now, they will have to take a coach from Hanoi.
Even though Suvarnabhumi Airport resumed full operations yesterday , Mr Xu will not change his mind.
He said: 'We're still uncomfortable about the situation in Bangkok. Besides, the tickets have been issued and it's troublesome to change them back.'
Travel agencies in Singapore told The New Paper last Friday that tours to Bangkok have not picked up and recovery could take about two weeks.
ASA Holidays' senior marketing communications manager Louisa Chin said leisure travellers are still avoiding Thailand, especially Bangkok.
'Many customers who had booked tours to Bangkok have asked to be rerouted to other destinations,' she said.
Ms Ruth Lin, SA Tours' marketing and communications manager, said: 'Tour groups affected by the airport closure have postponed their holidays to around Christmas and that's when the situation will probably get better.'
The situation is the same at UOB Travel Planners.
Its general manager, Ms Eileen Yeow, said the agency has not received any enquiries about leisure tours to Bangkok.
She said: 'We're still getting enquiries about corporate travel to Bangkok. Generally, people are considering other places for holidays.'
But the turmoil there resulted in a short spurt of good news for hotels there.
Extended stay
When the airport was shut down, many tourists had no choice but to extend their stay in Bangkok. That translated into more business for the hotels.
All 10 hotels who The New Paper spoke to reported near-full occupancy.
A spokesman for Holiday Inn Silom said it had 300 guests who were scheduled to check out on 25 Nov, but many of them extended their stay after all flights were cancelled.
She said: 'When the airport closed, we were busy with extended stays and new arrivals. In terms of occupancy, we were running at 70 to 80 per cent.'
To help stranded tourists, Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports recommended that all hotels charge affected guests subsidised rates of 2,000 baht ($85) a night.
The country's tallest hotel, the 88-storey Baiyoke Sky Hotel in Bangkok, also enjoyed full occupancy after slashing room rates from 5,500 baht ($230) to 3,300 baht ($140).
It was a similar situation at Four Seasons Bangkok, said Ms Maria Kuhn, its public relations director.
She said: 'When the airport came under siege, we suggested to our guests that they stay on.
'Many of them took the situation in their stride although a few guests were concerned about getting home.'
But the Holiday Inn Silom spokesman said that they are now seeing cancellations for the rest of the year as many tourists are turned off by the protest.
The 700-room hotel expects business to drop by 15 to 20 per cent even though it is the holiday season.
Four Seasons Bangkok also received cancellations, but it is seeing signs of a rebound with the re-opening of the airport yesterday.
Ms Kuhn said: 'We're getting enquiries from potential guests. This being the holiday season, people will still want to travel.'
Other hotels are keeping prices steady, relying on the normally lucrative Christmas and New Year period to attract bookings - assuming flights are back to normal.
The Thai Hotels Association businesses were pursuing different strategies to sell rooms during the downturn, AFP reported.
The association's associate manager, Mr Sakkarin Chorsawai, said: 'It depends on the hotel, it depends on location.'
The airport siege and the global recession are set to deal a double blow to Thailand's tourism industry.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand told Thai media on Thursday that the number of international tourists might be half the previously projected 15 million expected next year.
This article was first published in The New Paper on Dec 6, 2008.
