Thai provinces to seek government aid
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The tourism industry in three of Thailand’s southern provinces, Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi, will ask the government for soft loans in a bid to alleviate the downturn in tourism caused by recent political unrest, The Nation has reported.
Krit Srifa, President of the Phang Nga Tourism Association, said on behalf of the Andaman Tourism Association that there had been a meeting among representatives of tourism operators, state agencies and banks in the three provinces on the effects of the political turmoil.
He added that all parties had agreed to ask for financial help from the government by extending debt moratorium periods and offering them soft loans to enable both operators and workers to survive.
“The political turbulence has led the tourism industry during the peak season this year into a terrible situation. Room reservations were cancelled as a result of the temporary closure of the two airports (Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang), which were seized by anti-government protesters. Meanwhile, foreign tourists have gone to neighbouring countries. So, occupancy rates have sharply declined,” the Bangkok-based newspaper reported Krit as saying.
He added that tourism revenue in Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi this year is expected to reach THB9 billion (US$256 million).
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