Thai coup doesn’t dim tourist allure

MUMBAI: The coup in Thailand on Tuesday may have sent alarm bells ringing, with many countries issuing advisories to citizens to reconsider travel plans, but the Indian Airlines flight from Mumbai to Bangkok on Wednesday was “chock-a-block”, officials and tour operators said.

“We have been in touch with our ground staff in Bangkok and barring the fact that there is no vehicular traffic on the roads, things are normal,” said Lalit Sheth of Raj Travels. Sheth has three groups touring Thailand currently.

“Tanks can only be seen near the Grand Palace and in areas with government offices,” he said. “All our guests are safe in their hotels. There is no sign of violence.”

Sheth said his firm has not received a single cancellation. He was sure the forthcoming holiday season would remain unaffected.

Veena Patil, director of Kesari Tours, also confirmed that the coup had not affected her company’s two groups in Bangkok, nor had anyone cancelled their booking for the tour scheduled to leave on Saturday.

At Cox & Kings, director Karan Anand said the situation is normal. Flights from India to Thailand operated normally on Wednesday.

The Pacific Asia Travel Association said the impact of the bloodless coup on Thailand’s tourism sector had been minimal and advised visitors to go ahead with their plans. Tourism contributes more than 6 per cent of the Thai economy.