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A military coup in Thailand in May ended six months of turmoil. What’s the situation now? Ian Taylor reports from Bangkok.
Thailand is under martial law. An army coup on May 22 ended six months of increasingly violent protests by opponents of the elected government. A three‑week curfew followed.
As recently as June 1 the Financial Times reported “troops and police fanning out across the Thai capital on foot and in trucks, some mounted with guns” to arrest those demanding a return to democracy.
Martial law looks set to continue until at least October 2015 when army chief General Prayuth
Chan-ocha has promised elections. But there is little evidence of it as far as tourists are concerned. Holidaymakers can carry on as if nothing has happened.
There were no troops at the airport and few on the streets late last week. Travelling around the city, I saw one troop carrier and a handful of soldiers – no more than on a previous visit in 2008.
However, the military junta has banned gatherings of more than five and issued warnings to the media. Even small protests are cracked down on. Bangkok newspapers report people being arrested for reading George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four or giving a Hunger Games-style three-finger salute. The repression may not be visible to visitors, but according to the Financial Times: “General Prayuth has imposed a brutal dictatorship.”
Military oversees tourism
The Thai authorities are eager to assure visitors all is calm. To that end, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) invited 900 media and industry representatives to Bangkok last week to say: “Thai tourism is back.” Most were from southeast and east Asia, which comprises Thailand’s main source markets, but a handful came from Britain.
TAT governor Thawatchai Arunyik said: “The situation in Thailand since last year had an impact on the safety of guests. The objective [now] is to show Thailand is safe to visit… Everything is back to normal.”
That is not entirely true, as the sector is now overseen by the military’s National Council for Peace and Order and the commander in chief of the Thai Royal Navy, Admiral Narong Pipatanasai, is in charge.
The admiral described Thailand as “under reform measures in many aspects”, but said: “The changes will make tourists feel comfortable…We intend to develop tourism areas.”
The regime has acted against ‘mafia’ taxi cabs in Phuket and promises a shake-up of taxis at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, with spot-checks on drivers to ensure they use taximeters.
Tourism accounts for up to 10% of the economy and UK visitors last year hit a record 848,000, 6% up on 2012. UK arrivals last month, following the coup, were flat year on year and in the six months
to June up 4% despite the unrest.
Arrivals fall from east Asia
The real impact has been on regional visitors, with arrivals from east Asia down 31% in June – a drop of 420,000. The Thai Hotels Association reported average occupancy in Bangkok down by a third to 50%.
Outside the capital the situation has been worse with occupancy down 60 percentage points to 23% in eastern Thailand. Only northern Thailand and Koh Samui in the south appear relatively unaffected.
Of course, this could mean better room rates for UK visitors.
The view among UK trade representatives who visited Bangkok at the weekend was summarised by Sarah Dean, partnership marketing manager at Flight Centre.
She said: “It seems very much business as usual. From the tourist perspective you would not feel at all uncomfortable.”
Flight Centre plans a Thailand promotion in early August ahead of a joint campaign with the TAT in September. Dean said:
“Thailand is in the top three destinations for Flight Centre.”
Thailand will also feature in a Virgin Holidays worldwide promotion in August. Virgin Holidays senior marketing executive Lucy Hodgson said: “I didn’t know what to expect, but I’ve had no problems.”
None of this means Thailand is back to normal for its own people.