Phuket tourism sectors pleads for flights to resume

Phuket, Thailand’s tourism sector has pleaded with anti-government protesters who are members of the PAD to allow air service to resume at the Phuket International Airport, saying that their blockade is doing damage to the resort’s reputation with tourists and hurting its economy.

The Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) and the southern chapter of the Thai Hotel Association (THA) held a press conference asking the protestors to allow the resumption of flights at the Phuket Airport, expressing their concerns about the many foreign tourists who were trying to visit on holiday, and others who were trying to return home.

In a prepared statement, the president of THA’s Southern Chapter, Mr. Metee Tanmanatrakul, estimated the loss of revenue to be running at approximately 250 million baht each day.

He added that Thai citizens, who are representatives of the country hosting these foreign visitors, should allow them to fly home safely after visiting the kingdom.

According to the association’s president, the impact of the protest is not only immediate, but can affect the region’s future, when tourism is projected to be the “big pot of rice” for the people of the Andaman region.

The PTA and the THA stressed that they were not taking sides, saying who was right or who was wrong, but simply stating that foreign visitors should not be affected by the country’s internal political conflicts.

www.phukettourist.com