Thai arrivals hit by Bangkok bomb

International visitor arrivals to Thailand have fallen approximately 7% since the bombing in Bangkok, new data has revealed.

The Bangkok Post reported figures from the Thai Ministry of Tourism & Sports as showing that the country has experienced an average drop of around 6,000 visitors per day since the attack. Thailand usually welcomes approximately 85,000 overseas visitors per day.

The data contradicts the recent statement by Thailand’s ruling military government, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), that arrivals have not been affected.

“The number of tourists in prominent tourist attractions both in Bangkok and other provinces is still high,” an NCPO spokesperson said last week, without offerings any figures. “The Ministry of Tourism & Sports has further reported that the statistics of foreign tourists travelling into Thailand is at the normal level.”

On Thursday, AccorHotels revealed that it has lost THB13 million (US$364,000) of business in Bangkok since the bombing, with its citywide occupancy levels falling from around 85% to 50-60%. And Reuters reported data from ForwardKeys as showing that bookings for Thailand dropped 65% in the five days following the attack.

Thailand recently welcomed its 20 millionth international visitor arrival of 2015, and may still be able to achieve its full-year target of 28.8m overseas visitors, owing to a strong first half. In the first six months of 2015, arrivals surged 29.5% year-on-year, driven by a 112% jump in the number of Chinese visitors.

The Thai government, backed by the UNWTO, has been quick to reassure tourists after the bomb. The country’s Minister of Tourism & Sports, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, said this week that said she believes the impact of the bomb will be “short-term”, but it remains to be seen how quickly visitor arrivals – especially from the all-important Chinese market – will recover.