Ezokuvakasha zaseThailand zithole igalelo lazo lokuqala ezinxushunxushwini eziqhubekayo lapho amaqembu amathathu, ngokusho komnikazi wamahhotela waseThailand u-Andrew J. Wood, esekuhoxile ukubhuka ngoLwesibili ekuseni.
"Ukukhansela kuqhamuke ikakhulukazi emkhakheni kahulumeni, kodwa nomsebenzi wasendaweni we-MICE, futhi sithola ukwesulwa kwa-FIT Corporate Japanese," kubhala uWood encwadini ethunyelwe kwa-eTN. “Umbuzo wokuthi abagibeli abahlanu noma ngaphezulu bangahlangana ngaphansi kwesinqumo esiphuthumayo uzoqeda imakethe yezingqungquthela. Izindaba ezimbi uma ziphoqelelwa.”
Ngokusho kukaWood, ukuhlala kwehle kumaphesenti angama-55 futhi kuyehla. Ingase ifinyelele kumaphesenti angu-40 uma isimo singashintshi. “Ngokujwayelekile besilindele amaphesenti angama-75 ngoSepthemba, okuwukuqala kwenkathi yezimvula nenye yezinyanga zethu ezithule,” engeza.
Izinyathelo ezivela ohlangothini lwabanikazi bamahhotela ziye zaphoqelelwa ukubhekana nesimo samanje, njengokudilizwa kwabasebenzi abayitoho kanye nokuqeda isikhathi esengeziwe, kanye nokuvala amagumbi okulala ukuze kongiwe amandla. “Iziteleka ezizothinta amanzi, ugesi nezokuthutha zizoholela emikhawulweni ethile kubavakashi, kodwa okwamanje zonke izikhumulo zezindiza sezisebenza ngendlela evamile,” kwengeza uWood.
“Amaphesenti angamashumi ayisishiyagalolunye nesishiyagalolunye eThailand asalokhu engathinteki kakhulu,” kunezela uWood. “Indawo eshisayo ingaphakathi naseduze kweNdlu Kahulumeni, okuyindawo okufanele igwenywe.”
“Umphumela wamasosha emigwaqweni uzonikeza umyalezo wokuthi empeleni izinto zimbi kakhulu kunalokho eziyikho,” kusho uWood.
Kodwa-ke, uWood uphinde wathi, “Ngesikhathi ngingena emsebenzini ekuseni [ngoLwesibili], yonke into ibijwayelekile, ukuhamba kwezimoto bekujwayelekile futhi abantu bebebonakala beqhubeka nezinto ezinjengayizolo. Bezingekho izimpawu zokuthi kukhona amasosha kanti amaphoyisa abeqondisa izimoto njengenjwayelo.”
Mayelana nemali engenayo, uWood uthe ulindele ukuthi ibhizinisi likaSepthemba lithinteke kuzo zontathu izindawo ezinkulu zemali engenayo - amakamelo, izindawo zokudlela kanye nengqungquthela / idili. Ucabanga ukuthi “ukulahlekelwa kuzofinyelela ku-Baht4 million (US$116,000) endaweni yethu yaseBangkok kuphela.”
Imicimbi emikhulu efana nokuvakasha kuka-HRH Prince Andrew eBangkok, okuhlelwe yiBritish Chamber of Commerce, kanye nomcimbi wakusihlwa eGrand Hyatt namhlanje ebusuku, ikhanseliwe, kulandela ukuthi uNdunankulu uSamak Sundaravej ememezele isimo esiphuthumayo enhlokodolobha yaseThailand.
Umongameli we-Association of Thai Travel Agents u-Apichart Sankary utshele i-TTG ukuthi ukubhukha okuqhubekayo kwesizini ephezulu ezayo, kusukela ngo-Okthoba kuya kuNdasa noma ngo-Ephreli, kwehle ngamaphesenti amahlanu “ngokwengxenye emnothweni womhlaba futhi ngokwengxenye imibhikisho yaseBangkok nakwezinye izindawo eThailand.”
Ngasohlangothini olukhanyayo, isibalo sezindiza eziqashiwe ezisuka eScandinavia ziye ePhuket naseKrabi ezinkathini ezizayo eziphakeme zahlala zingashintshile, ngokusho kukaSankary. Utshele i-TTG ukuthi iTUI Nordic kanye noThomas Cook izolo bethule ngokuhlanganyela indiza yokuqala yezindiza eziqashwa kabili ngesonto zisuka eScandinavia ziya ePhuket.
“Ngenhlanhla isikhumulo sezindiza sesiphinde savulwa; ngaphandle kwalokho bekungaba indaba ehlukile futhi bekuzothinta kakhulu uhlelo lwezindiza eziningi eziqashiwe, kusukela ekupheleni kuka-Okthoba,” ucashunwe esho kanje.
I-Tourism Council of Thailand, (TCT) nayo icele uhulumeni waseThailand kanye nababhikishi ukuthi babeke izithakazelo zezwe kuqala, ibalula umthelela omubi osuvele ubonakala ekuvakasheni kwasekhaya nakwamanye amazwe. "Uma isimo siqhubeka, kuzoholela ekutheni amazwe amaningana akhiphe izexwayiso zokuhamba, okuzokwenza kube nzima ukukholisa izivakashi ukuthi zibuye (eThailand)," kuxwayisa.
Icaphuna ulwazi oluvela kumhlaziyi, iForbes.com ibike ukuthi amasheya aseThailand kungenzeka aqhubeke nokwehla ngemuva kokuwa kwehle kakhulu ezinyangeni eziyi-19 ngoLwesibili ngenxa yokukhathazeka ngezinxushunxushu zezombusazwe eziholele ekutheni kubekwe isimo esiphuthumayo.
Kuze kube manje, amazwe akhiphe izeluleko zokuhamba ahlanganisa iSouth Korea, i-United Kingdom, iCanada, iJapan ne-Australia.
LOKHO ONGAKUTHATHE KULESI SIHLOKO:
- Association of Thai Travel Agents president Apichart Sankary told TTG that onward bookings for the coming high season, from October to March or April, have dropped by five percent “partly from the world economy and partly from the protests in Bangkok and elsewhere in Thailand.
- Major events such as HRH Prince Andrew’s visit to Bangkok, organized by the British Chamber of Commerce, and evening function at the Grand Hyatt tonight have been cancelled, following Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's declaring a state of emergency for the Thai capital.
- The Tourism Council of Thailand, (TCT) too has called for the Thai government and the protesters to put national interests first, citing the already visible negative impact on domestic and international tourism.
