 Tourism industry robust in northern Thailand |
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Despite tourism setback in southernThailand due to constant violence, business in the north remains robust with the arrival of the peak holiday season, tourism operators in the north have said.
Most tourists to the north come from Europe or other Asian countries while those to the south are mainly from Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, Boonlert Pelera, president of the Chiang Mai Tourism Business Association was quoted by the Bangkok Post newspaper as saying on Tuesday.
Official figures show that the number of advance booking at Chiang Mai hotels for the peak season this year will rise 10 percent over the same period last year.
Improvement in marketing or organizing tourist activities and promotions also contributed to the boom, said Boonlert.
A recent survey of 30-50 hotels in the north revealed that mostof the respondents had not been affected by the violence in the south, noted Vorapong Muchaotai, president of the northern chapterof the Thai Hotel Association.
"We expect the occupancy rate to reach 80 percent for the peak tourism season," he said.
According to the Bank of Thailand's office for the Northern Region, hotel occupancy in the north was around 45.5 percent over the first nine months of the year, up from 42.4 percent over the same period last year.
Over the next few years, around 1,000 new rooms are expected tobe added by the construction of new hotels, which will help draw tourists and boost earnings for the sector.
About 3.9 million tourists visit Chiang Mai each year, bringingin some 38 billion baht (905 million US dollars) to the province.
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