I’m surprised that there hasn’t been discussion about how the political turmoil in Thailand could potentially affect tourists and tourism.
The country is deeply split regarding the Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, and the democratic process has broken down. (Thaksin called for an election, the opposition parties have decided to boycott that election, the military appears to be ready to get involved, and, according to The Nation, Thailand is “on the brink of violent confrontation.”
Now much of them time tourists are not affected during a country’s internal political strife, and I’m not aware of any issues that affected tourists in the current situation. However, Thailand’s military did get involved in the early 1990s (with considerable blood shed on Bangkok’s streets).
I am not suggesting that anyone should cancel or reconsider plans to visit Thailand in the next few weeks. However, it would seem prudent for those planning a trip to Thailand in the next several weeks to keep abreast of matters by regularly checking the Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com) or The Nation (www.nationmultimedia.com).
Thailand political turmoil and its effect on tourism
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Yeah, Rizzuto...funny you should mention it as I was just talking to a Thai friend yesterday and he was commenting that the situation is a mess at the moment. He didn't sound too hopeful of things looking better anytime soon. Happy Travels!
Yeah, I've been trying to keep an eye on this, given that we will be visiting Thailand in late April right around "election" time. I hope all remains calm.
Thanks for the links.
I think the government knows the dollar value of tourism to the country. They were badly hurt by the Teusami and I am hopefully they will keep the tourists out of any internal turmoil.
Maybe that is wishful thinking because we too are going for 3 weeks in April.
i have asked an expat friend several times recently and he indicated that everything is under control...
I’ve been in Thailand during a couple of past coups & violent political upheavals and unless you are in BKK – and only certain parts of BKK at that – you were hardly aware that anything was happening. Even during coups it’s business as usual to the vast majority of Thais.
I am in Bangkok right now and although every Thai has a definite opinion on the situation, its no big deal for the average tourist.
I was there many years ago when the Prime Minister was arrested for taking a bribe (less than a mile from where I was shopping) We heard all the sirens and they blockd off the street briefly, but that was it.
I think it's always wise to keep up on the political situation. I have a number of sources I keep bookmarked.