BANGKOK – Tourism Authority of Thailand’s contingency plan for Thailand Travel Mart, if the red-shirt stand-off continues in downtown Bangkok, calls for a postponement rather than a change of venue, reports TTR Weekly.
Officials said they are still committed to hosting the show in Bangkok.
Switching to Pattaya or Phuket was not on the radar, they said.
The event is scheduled for 2-4 June at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani, 30 km north of the city centre.
However most of the hotels contracted to provide accommodation for buyers and media are in downtown Bangkok and around the protest area.
Tourism Authority of Thailand governor, Suraphon Svetasreni, confirmed the decision to stay with Bangkok last week, but he did concede the TTM might be postponed if trouble continues.
He reaffirmed the agency had no intention of considering a different venue.
“I still believe that the situation will not last that long. Buyers attendance is promising,†he said. There are 353 buyer applications, but it is still not clear how many of them will upgrade to firm bookings.
Association of Thai Travel Agents president, Surapol Sritrakul, said one month was not enough time for foreign business buyers to decide whether they should come or not.
Source: TTR Weekly
