Trips scheduled despite earthquakes
Thai tourists appear to be unfazed by Taiwan's biggest earthquake in 25 years and a string of quakes in Japan, as they intend to take planned trips during the Songkran holiday.
Though a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan on Wednesday, most Thai tourists have already paid for their tour packages, air tickets and accommodation, said Charoen Wangananont, president of the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA).
He said if tour companies and airlines maintain their services as usual, tourists cannot obtain a refund if they opt to cancel their trips.
Mr Charoen said many Thai tourists asked tour companies about the safety of their trips after seeing news reports from Taiwan yesterday.
After learning that affected areas are on the eastern part of the island, he said tourists decided to continue with their tour programmes as planned.
Though southern Japan did have earthquake and tsunami warnings on Wednesday, the incidents did not disrupt outbound tour programmes planned for Japan during Songkran, said Mr Charoen.
Japan remains the most popular destination for Thais during Songkran, followed by China, South Korea and Taiwan.
"Tourists are more aware of natural disasters and realise that such incidents could happen at any time. They know how to use the internet to get updated information," he said. "When they know that it's safe to travel, they are deciding not to cancel their trips."
Mr Charoen said tour operators are not concerned about natural disasters as much as weak purchasing power, as the outbound travel after Songkran is not as strong as expected.
"Earlier we expected growth of 15-20%, but the market is quite stable with no significant increase in sales," he said.
Chotechuang Soorangura, vice-president of TTAA, said the quake-hit areas in Taiwan are concentrated along the eastern coast, which is not a preferred destination for Thai travellers. As a result, he said outbound trips to Taiwan this month are continuing as usual.
Mr Chotechuang said Thais are quite flexible and can change their travel routes to unaffected areas, instead of cancelling their entire trip when unexpected events occur such as earthquakes, which happened several times recently.
This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/general/2771283/thai-tourists-still-headed-to-taiwan
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