Sukko Spa Blog

Thailand situation reported by TAT

TAT DISTRIBUTION LIST

SITUATION UPDATE
As of September 14, 2008/ 12.00 hrs (Bangkok Time)
THE EMERGENCY DECREE HAS BEEN LIFTED

1. The Emergency Decree was lifted on Sunday morning (14 September 2008) thereby ending the state of emergency in Bangkok.

2. Following the ruling by Thailand’s Constitutional Court on 9 September 2008, Mr Somchai Wongsawat, as first deputy prime minister, has assumed the role of acting prime minister. The House of Representatives will vote for a new prime minister on Wednesday, 17 September. Cabinet ministers will continue their duties until a new prime minister and a new cabinet are sworn in.

3. The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) anti-government rally is restricted to the designated protest site and the immediate areas. Tourists and expats in Bangkok are advised to avoid travelling to areas near the demonstration site namely — Government House and Ratchadamnoen Nok Road (Makkawan Bridge).

4. For visitors planning trips to various sites around Rattanakosin Island (Koh Rattanakosin), shuttle boats and river taxis that serve the various public piers along the Chao Phraya River provides fast and convenient transportation to several of these sites.

5. All other areas in Bangkok remain unaffected by the rally. There has been no significant disruption to life and business in the capital beyond added traffic congestion in a few areas. The vast majority of the city, including all the major tourist spots (including The Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun-Temple of Dawn, and Sanam Luang – The Royal Ground), shopping centres and riverside attractions, as well as all roads and public/private transport systems are functioning normally. Bangkok’s city taxi and rail services are unaffected. All hotels and resorts in Bangkok and throughout Thailand are open for business as usual.

6. Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok’s international airport) and all regional airports around Thailand are operating normally. Rail services in provincial areas of the north and northeastern regions are operating normally. Service has also resumed on most of the rail services to destinations in the south. (Call Centre: 1690). Major surface routes between Bangkok and other parts of Thailand are unaffected. Travel to key destinations around Thailand, such as Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Northeastern Thailand (Isan) and other parts of the country remains unaffected.

7. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has embarked on an immediate tourism recovery plan and is working closely with the Thai tourism industry to restore confidence in the destination.

   TAT has been conducting random interviews with individual tourists at various popular tourism sites around Bangkok, such as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Khao San Road, Chatuchak Market, Suan Lum Night Bazaar, Siam Square and CentralWorld at Ratchaprasong intersection. Foreign tourists were asked how they felt about their stay in Thailand over the past week and early this week. All of the individuals responded positively and indicated that the situation has not in any way affected his/her visit to Thailand. Videos of these interviews from September 6 onwards have been posted on community web sites such as YouTube.com, DailyMotion.com and Sharkle.com, as well as on the TAT’s main web site and under “Situation Updates” on the Home Page of the TAT News Room web site – www.TATnews.org TAT has also participated in several online travel forums such as Tripadvisor.com, Lonely planet.com and VirtualTourist.com Web link to the Thailand Tourism Update page on TourismThailand.org http://www.tourismthailand.org/thailandtourismupdate/

   ASIA (3) PATA Travel Mart 2008
   in Hyderabad, India September 16-19 JATA World Tourism Congress and Travel Fair
   in Tokyo, Japan September 18 - 21 China International Travel Mart
   in Shanghai, China November 20 - 23   Top Resa Paris International Travel Market
   in Paris, France September 16-19 MATIW -Leisure 2008
   in Moscow, Russia September 23 - 28 INWETEX-CIS Travel Market
   in St Petersburg, Russia October 1 - 3 Ukraine International Travel Market
   in Kiev, Ukraine October 7 - 9 TTG Incontri
   in Remini, Italy October 24 - 26 Global Health Care Travel Exhibition & Congress in Dubai, United Arab Emirates November 2 - 4 World Travel Mart (WTM)
   in London, UK November 10 - 13 International Luxury Travel Mart
   in Cannes, France December 8-11   DEMA Show 2008 (dive expo)
   in Las Vegas, USA October 22 - 25 Luxury Travel Expo 2008
   in Las Vegas, USA December 2 - 4

Thailand Tourism Updates web links

Main TAT web site:
http://www.tourismthailand.org/thailandtourismupdate/

YouTube.com
http://www.youtube.com/thailand

DailyMotion.com
http://www.dailymotion.com/amazingthailand

Sharkle.com
http://www.sharkle.com/member/amazingthailand

For further information, please call the Tourism Authority of Thailand Hotline.
Simply dial 1672 from anywhere in Thailand. For overseas enquiries, please contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand office nearest to you.

Tourists planning to travel to Thailand are advised to check the latest situation
regarding their travel plans with their travel agents or contact:

Tourist Information at the airport: +66 (0) 2134 0041-2

Tourism Authority of Thailand , Phuket Office
Tel: +66 (0) 7621 1036/ 7621 7138/ 7621 2213
Fax: +66 (0) 7621 3582
E-mail: tatphket@tat.or.th
Web site: www.tourismthailand.org/phuket