Officials in Thailand expressed their commitment to rebuild confidence in their vital tourism industry on Wednesday.
This comes in the wake of a shooting incident at a luxury shopping mall where two foreigners lost their lives, casting doubt on the prospects of a tourism recovery.
A teenager, suspected of entering Bangkok’s Siam Paragon mall on Tuesday and opening fire, killing two women, one from China and the other from Myanmar, and injuring five individuals, has been apprehended by the police.
This incident has occurred at a time when Thailand’s new Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, is striving to revitalise the tourism sector, a key driver of Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, which has been slow to rebound from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Reuters cited.
China plays a pivotal role in these efforts as the primary source of foreign tourists to Thailand in the pre-Covid era.
In the previous month, Srettha’s administration introduced visa-free entry for Chinese nationals to facilitate travel and address unfounded safety concerns that Thailand had identified.
Thapanee Kiatphaibool, the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, stated that government agencies are committed to taking further measures to rebuild confidence, without specifying the exact steps.
Prime Minister Srettha, a property developer elected in August, affirmed on social media that his government would enforce the highest safety standards for tourists.
Thailand, despite its prevalence of gun violence and gun ownership, typically maintains relaxed security checks in public spaces like shopping malls and transportation systems.
Somsong Sachaphimukh, the vice president of the Tourism Council of Thailand industry group, expressed concern about the impact on tourism confidence and Thailand’s reputation. He mentioned that while there were previous safety concerns from China, this incident was unprecedented.
Chinese visitors constituted a significant portion, with 11 million out of 39.9 million foreign tourists, of Thailand’s tourism in 2019 before the pandemic.
However, their return to Thailand and other Southeast Asian destinations has been slow, prompting the government’s decision to implement the visa waiver before the peak tourism season.
Thailand recorded 20 million foreign tourist arrivals and 839 billion baht (RM107 billion) in spending from January to October. The government’s target is 29 million visitors for the current year.
At the reopened Siam Paragon mall, situated on a typically congested thoroughfare, visitor numbers were gradually recovering. A bouquet of flowers was placed next to one of the mall’s entrances.
Dong Peijian, a 34-year-old Chinese tourist, expressed his unease following the shooting incident.
He stated, “I’m quite shocked… These kinds of shooting incidents… would make Chinese people reconsider and choose other countries for their vacations.”
