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Thailand’s Tourism Bureau predicts that the country’s upcoming Thornland Music Festival will generate more tourism revenue than last year, despite forecasting the earthquake that has lowered tourists’ arrivals.
The 7.7 earthquake near the center of Myanmar caused the collapse of the building built near Bangkok’s famous Chatuchak market, raising questions about the building Safety of high-rise buildings in Thailand.
Nevertheless, Thailand’s Tourism Bureau is in a press release ThursdayIt said that multi-day festivals in mid-April (the country’s largest festival) will generate 26.5 billion Thai baht (US$763 million) in tourism revenue, an 8% increase year-on-year.
According to the release, an estimated 7.3 billion baht will come from about 476,000 international arrivals.
From Thailand The Ministry of Tourism’s 2025 foreign arrival forecast has also doubled, with 38 million tourists expected to arrive this year. According to Reuters.
The country’s tourism and sports minister said that while more than 1,000 hotel rooms were cancelled immediately after the earthquake, the impact of natural disasters on the tourism industry is expected to be short-term in nature, the report said.
However, according to Google Translation of local media reports, the Thai Hotel Association said the earthquake is expected to affect the “tourism atmosphere” during the 2025 Thornland Music Festival. The association links on its Facebook page.
The report said the event was characterized by joyful splashing of water on streets across the country, possibly “more desolate than in the past two years.”
“The collapse of buildings in the Chachuk area has spread online, raising questions about Thailand’s security. Therefore, it is very important to urgently build the confidence of tourists during this year’s Thornland Music Festival.”
Urgent to solve the problem
After the earthquake, Thai officials were eager to ease tourism concerns.
In a joint post-match statement issued by the Thai real estate and finance sector, Kriengkrai Thiennukul, chairman of the nonprofit Thai Industry Federation, said: “Thailand remains a safe tourist destination, with government officials maintaining vigilance surveillance on conditions and providing these people with comprehensive building safety inspections, and being supported by forces.
exist Same statement“All the structures inspected show seismic resistance because they are designed in accordance with current seismic engineering standards,” said Thailand, chairman of the regulatory committee.
Lebua’s rooftop Sky Bar is located in the movie “Hangover 2” on the 64th floor of Bangkok State Building.
Reuters | Soe Zeya Tun
Nevertheless, some hotels contact guests and staff directly to keep people concerned about the integrity of the building.
Narawadee Bualert, president and CEO of Lebua Hotels & Resorts, issued a statement saying that his location in Bangkok’s state towers had been inspected and “engineers confirmed that the earthquake did not affect the structural integrity of the building.”
“From today, our website will be updated daily with real-time security updates… You will also find engineering reports, historical construction details and visual documents to show how Lebua was originally intended to withstand wind loads and seismic activities.”
Thailand has been working to alleviate concerns among Chinese travelers for years – But for different reasons. A fictional 2023 Chinese blockbuster “No More Bets” depicts a Chinese couple who are seduced by human traffickers in Southeast Asia – a fictional plot line that reflects real life when actor Wang Xing was kidnapped in January.
Stay behind
Morgan Awyong, Singapore, was at a restaurant in Bangkok’s Chinatown area when the earthquake struck.
“The water in the cup is moving, the ceiling lights are swaying,” he said. “Outside… the birds are flying, the dogs are barking, one person after another, and the neighborhood alarm is issued.”
He said office buildings, like shops, closed checks for buildings, just like his hotel. He added that he had a foot massage when he reopened and returned to his hotel.
He said the friends he was traveling with “have not changed their plans at all, especially when most services resumed the next day.”
Thailand’s hotel industry hopes others follow suit, as the country’s attention and bookings stimulated the third season of HBO’s hit “The White Lotus”, mainly filmed on Koh Samui.
The country is expected to attract more tourists this year Legalization of same-sex marriage in JanuaryThis will establish the country as a regional destination wedding venue for gay couples.
According to the World Bank, in 2024, the country welcomed about 35 million international tourists – the 2019 figure was about 5 million lower.
– CNBC’s Bella Stoddart contributed to the report.
