South Thailand’s hotel industry booming with increased tourist arrivals

South Thailand is seeing a resurgence in tourism, with room bookings in hotels reaching 85%, according to Sueksit Suwandissakun, the president of the Southern Hotel Association. This is a positive sign for the industry, which has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic over the past year.

Many hotels in popular tourist areas are already fully booked, with the majority of reservations being made at three-star hotels and below. The booking rate for this month is at 80%, and even more, reservations are expected to be made for next month, with the rate expected to reach 60%, The Phuket Express reported.

The limiting factor for tourism currently is the number of flights that are back in service, with only 50% of flights being operational compared to 2019 when there were 450 flights in operation. Despite this, passenger numbers have improved by 70% on the flights that are running.

The top ten countries in terms of the number of arrivals in Phuket over the past year were Russia, India, Australia, Britain, Singapore, Germany, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, America, and Israel. The increase in tourism is not solely driven by foreign tourists, however, as domestic travel has also been on the rise in recent months.

Recently, there were reports of police in Bangkok extorting money from a Taiwanese actress and rumours about officers allegedly extorting money from a Saudi Arabian tourist. However, Sueksit noted that this has not affected tourism, as the normal booking rate for this month is already good.

February is a special month, with Valentine’s Day being celebrated worldwide, but this is not likely to increase travel as there are no long holidays for foreign tourists. The southern region of Thailand has always been a popular destination for tourists, with its beautiful beaches and vibrant culture attracting visitors from around the world.

Overall, the southern region of Thailand is experiencing an improvement in the tourism industry, which is a positive sign for the future. With continued progress, the industry is expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels, bringing much-needed revenue to the region.

Source - The Thaiger

#Cambodia - Tourist arrivals up by 10 percent - Chinese up by 35%

Tourist-at Phnom Penh Airport

A Tourism Ministry report published on Friday said that Cambodia saw a 9.7 percent increase of foreign tourist arrivals during the first quarter of this year.

According to the report, Chinese tourists top the country’s tourism market list with 683,436, a number that increased from quarter to quarter by 35.1 percent. Vietnamese tourists ranked second with 186,863, followed by Laos with 121,489 tourists, Thailand with 97,942 tourists and South Korea with 95,719 tourists.

A total of 1.29 million tourists arrived in the Kingdom via three international airports, while 578,371 arrived via land and waterway.

The report said Phnom Penh and its surrounding areas are the most attractive destinations for international tourists. The area received a total of 1.08 million tourists during the first three months of this year.

Siem Reap province, home to the Angkor temples, received about 787,900 foreign tourists, while coastal provinces such as Preah Sihanouk, Kep, Kampot and Koh Kong received 303,285 tourists.

In a recent meeting, Tourism Minister Thong Khon called on relevant parties to increase the quality of tourism services.

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Mr Khon said poor hospitality in the tourism sector has been reported, particularly in visa processing which requires tourists to spend informal expenses.

Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, yesterday echoed Mr Khon’s statement. She said poor hospitality in the sector can discourage tourists from returning to the Kingdom.

“With nine to 10 percent growth, we are not satisfied because there are many issues we need to overcome. Other Asean countries try hard to attract foreign tourists and make them stay longer,” Ms Sivlin said. “We have to learn and try our best to get those in the private sector and the government to strengthen tourism services.”

“In terms of hospitality, we see some progress, but only small points,” she added. “When we offer poor services to tourists at border gates, tourists are not satisfied and will end their stay earlier.”

Ms Sivlin noted that the domestic production of goods to be sold to tourists should be increased, so local producers can benefit from tourists.

According to a Tourism Ministry Facebook post, Mr Khon said while most tourists arrived via airports, domestic flights are in need of a boost.

“Foreign tourists want to be able to take a plane from Sihanoukville in order to visit Angkor Wat,” he said. “It is easy to go on cruise ships, but domestic air services are difficult.”

Last year, Cambodia received 6.2 million tourists, with the tourism sector earning $4.3 billion.

This year, Cambodia expects to welcome 6.7 million tourists, while it expects to receive seven million by 2020.

Source - KhmerPost