Travel industry fears effects of quake

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Travel industry fears effects of quake
By Business Reporters
The Nation
2011-03-12


The Thai travel industry faces seriฌous negative impact from the tsunaฌmi in Japan yesterday. Airlines and tour operators expect the disaster to hit travel to and from Japan during the coming school holidays.

During the school break in March and April, many Japanese travel to Thailand. Japanese tourists number almost 1 million per year.

"We will see negative impact on both outbound and inbound travel," said Anake Srishevachart, president of the ThaiJapan Tourism Business Association (TJTBA). However, he said it was too early to estimate the size of the impact.

Yesterday China, the Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea were bracing for possible tsunamis after the 8.9magnitude earthquake struck off the northeast of Japan, sending waves crashing through coastal towns.

Tsunami warnings were issued in the Philippines and Taiwan, after the northeastern Japanese city of Sendai, 300 kilometres north of Tokyo, was struck by the waves.

In Thailand, authorities warned that the tsunami could reach the southern provinces of Narathiwat and Pattani today.

Surin Pitsuwan, secretarygenerฌal of Asean, said the earthquake in Japan would affect investment in Thailand and Asean as Japan had previously been planning foreign investment because of the strength of the yen.

The disaster will weaken the curฌrency, forcing the Japanese government to review investment outside the country. Japan will need the funds to help its own population and repair the damage caused by the quake and tsunamis, he said.

The number of Japanese tourists expected to travel to Thailand will also fall significantly, he said.

Asean will convene an urgent meeting to help Japan with relief and recovery efforts, he added.

Thai stock investors reacted negatively to disaster, selling off shares and putting downward pressure on the composite index.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand lost 13 points when afternoon tradฌing resumed. The index gradually moved up again, but by 3.19pm the index had shed 11.93 points or 1.17 per cent to 1,007.29 points.

The Japanese yen slumped immediately after the quake made headlines. It weakened against 15 major currencies. At the time of writing the yen was at 83.30 against the US dollar.

Anake said the disaster would hit Thai tourism to Japan.

About 20,000-30,000 Thais visit the upper part of the country, few compared with the southern region, he said.

According to the TJTBA, 500-1,000 Thai tourists visit Japan per day, with the figure normally rising during the school break and Songkran festival.

"I have asked staff at my company, Thai Sin Express, to stand by at the office and keep communicating with partners in Japan," he said.

Anake believes the incident will damage the tourism sector in Thailand, as Japan is one of the country's biggest markets with nearly 1 million visitors a year.

Charoen Wangananond, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), said the association was calculating the damage from the disaster. He was confident the industry would be hit hard.

According to Thai Airways International (THAI), the airline flies to five destinations in Japan with a total of 10 flights per day. Flights serve Narita, Haneda (Tokyo International Airport), Nagoya, Kansai (Osaka) and Fukuoka.

The airline has suspended servicฌes from Bangkok to Narita and Haneda airports, both of which serve Greater Tokyo. More than 200 THAI passengers remain in the Japanese capital.

Chaiyaporn Nompitakcharoen, head of tactical research at Bualuang Securities, said the earthquake would not hurt Thai market fundamentals. However, it would boost food export sales to Japan, as well as outsourcing orders for electrical appliance manufacturing.

Boonlert Siripatvanich, chief executive officer of Ausiris, said gold prices could fall as well, as after natural disฌasters investors prefer to hold cash over other types of assets. In war, gold is a safe haven, he noted.

Teerana Bhongmakapat, dean of Chulalongkorn University's economics faculty, said economic damage from the disaster would depend on whether aftershocks hit Tokyo and other big cities.

"Damage to the economy may be limited but the cost in human lives could be much higher," Teerana said.

Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai ordered all Thai Trade Centres overseas to assess the effects of the disaster on export businesses. The information will help the ministry provide urgent assistance to companies affected.

Porntiva has also ordered the centres to monitor political unrest in the Middle East closely in preparation for the launch of measures that will encourage Thai exports.

Vuthichai Duangratana, deputy directorgeneral of the Department of Export Promotion, said Thai Trade Centres in Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka were asking Japanese importers and Thai exporters how they had been affected. Japanese importers may be unable to load goods at ports, affecting payment of Thai exporters.

The ministry will ask the government for financial support to ensure cash flow for Thai exporters during the disaster.

"Japan has to import more goods to rescue its people, and other countries may have to provide assistance as well," he said.

Phongsak Assakul, vice chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, expressed concern about Japan's purchasing power, as its government would now focus on recovery of the country and the population's mental wellbeing.

[Admin]

Japan's anguish is felt in Thailand 
Bangkok Post: 13 Mar 2011

Friday's massive earthquake in the northeast of Japan and the resulting tsunami that sent walls of water far inland have focused the hopes, prayers and sympathies of the world on the island nation, and Thailand is no exception.

The two countries share strong social and cultural bonds going back for centuries. Thais can well remember the shock and devastation of the 2004 Asian tsunami, which the Japanese government and people responded to with acts of true friendship. In terms of human life, the disaster in Japan has thankfully so far taken a much lower toll.

As of yesterday evening, Bangkok time, the official death toll was around 570, and local media reports were speculating that number might climb to as high as 1,300. It has also been reported that four trains running on coastal lines on Friday are unaccounted for.

Soon after news of the earthquake and tsunami, Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi announced that the Thai government had allocated an initial sum of five million baht in assistance funds to help Japan. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the cabinet will meet tomorrow to discuss additional aid to Japan.

This is good and appropriate, but as a wealthy nation, what Japan needs most is not money, but solidarity, and this is assured from the Thai government and the Thai people.

Mr Thani said the Thai embassy in Japan was working with the Thai community in Miyagi, the hardest hit area, to see if any Thais were affected and what help the government can offer.

About 50,000 Thais live in Japan, mostly in Tokyo, and about 2,000 Thai Airways passengers, mostly Thais, were initially stranded yesterday at two Tokyo airports before return flights began to resume. A coordinating centre has been set up to to help Thai nationals in Japan.

The centre, set up by the Foreign Ministry and the Labour Ministry, will work closely with Thai agencies in Japan.

People seeking information on relatives in Japan should call the Consular Department on 02-575-1046-9 or 02-643-5000.

It is clear that the toll could have been much higher considering the power of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake. Japan's extensive disaster preparedness and strict construction codes are credited with saving many lives.

However, the potential for a wider disaster remains. There have been dozens of aftershocks, some of them quite strong, leading to fears that there may be another major quake coming. There is also the very real possibility of a nuclear reactor meltdown. An explosion at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power station on Saturday destroyed a building housing the reactor. Tokyo Power Electric Co, the utility that runs the plant, said four workers had suffered fractures and bruises and were being treated at a hospital. Everyone within a 20km radius of the plant was ordered to evacuate.

An Associated Press report said that ''large amounts of radiation were spewing out'' and that ''officials did not know how dangerous the leak was to people''.

However, Japanese government spokesman Yukio Edano later said the metal container sheltering a nuclear reactor was not affected by an explosion that destroyed the building and that the radiation levels around the plant did not rise after the blast but were actually decreasing, as was the pressure in the reactor. Yaroslov Shtrombakh, a Russian nuclear expert, said a Chernobyl-style meltdown was unlikely.

''It's not a fast reaction like at Chernobyl,'' he said. ''I think that everything will be contained within the grounds, and there will be no big catastrophe.''

It is safe to say that just about everyone on the planet hopes he is right, but it is too early to say the danger has passed.

Even in a best case scenario, the incident cannot fail to strengthen the cause of the anti-nuclear power contingent, who point out that besides the danger of accidents, there is also a risk of sabotage at nuclear power plants by terrorists, not to mention the seemingly insurmountable problem of storing radioactive waste for tens of thousands of years. A major catastrophe at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant would be almost unthinkable, and in Thailand and around the world people are hoping for the best possible outcome in the Land of the Rising Sun.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/226420/japan-anguish-is-felt-in-thailand

[Admin]

Travel Business In Thailand Faces A Dip After Japan Quake

Tourism faces a dip after quake
By SUCHAT SRITMA
THE NATION
2011-03-14

The travel business in Thailand is likely to suffer a negative impact over the next three to six months as Japanese tourists defer plans to come here, while Thais are likely to travel to other countries for fear of being caught in another quake.

Anake Srishevachart, president of the Thai-Japan Tourism Business Association, said arrivals from Japan would experience a negative impact this year over three to six months from now, between April to December.

But he said there would not be much impact on arrivals in the short term as most of tourists who booked packages were from major cities like Tokyo and Osaka, far from Sendai, which was hit by the tsunami last Friday.

But he predicted that new bookings from Japan would slow until the end of this year especially from the affected prefectures, and the capital, Tokyo.

Japan was one of the top three markets for Thai tourism with over one million visitors a year before the political crisis. The number was expected to rise and exceed a million visitors this year after plunging following the red-shirt mayhem last year.

"Now, we may not see one million Japanese tourists this year as earlier projected," Anake said.

Outbound travel from Thailand was likely to suffer a bigger impact because Thais tourists would fear of another quake as well as problems related to nuclear power plants in Japan.

Tokyo Disneyland announced it would close temporarily for 10 days while many other concerts and entertainment events have been halted.

Tour operators in Thailand are already offering plans for travellers to visit other countries instead of Japan.

But Charoen Wangananond, head of the Thai Travel Agents Association, said the number of Thai tourists would grow this year despite problems in Japan. He said most Thais usually did not visit Sendai and the northeast of Japan so they were likely to keep going to their favorite places like Tokyo and Osaka.

Charoen said about 300,000 Thais would travel to Japan this year, a rise of 25 percent from last year. All airlines from Thailand to Japan have resumed operations after hours of delays after airports were closed in Japan.

[nookiebear]

There are at least 10,000 who wont be coming!!!

[Admin]

Thai tourism to lose Bt3 bln in revenue from Japan disaster
TNA 2011-03-16

BANGKOK, March 16 - Thailand's tourism revenues are projected to fall by about Bt3 billion for the first three months following Japan's recent natural and nuclear disasters, according to the Thai-Japan Tourist Association (TJTA).

One hundred per cent of Thai travellers have cancelled their intended trips to Japan, and their air tickets will be fully refunded if they had booked to travel with Thai Airways International (THAI).

Speaking to reporters after meeting the public and private sectors concerning Thai-Japan tourism, Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Tourism and Sports Ministry Thanitta Maneechot said the Thai-Japan Tourist Association and related agencies have agreed to fully refund Thai tourists wishing to cancel their trips if flying with THAI.

The agencies are coordinating with the Japanese Embassy to Thailand concerning the refund of visa fees and tickets issued by other airlines.

Thais travelling as tourists and in Japan have been reported safe and will return to Thailand as originally planned.

Ms Thanitta advised tour agents to organise tours in other parts of Asia, particularly India and China, due to their lower cost of travelling.

A THAI representative said at the meeting all types of tickets to Japan can be cancelled until the end of April, while the airline is facilitating ticket purchases for Thais in Japan wishing to return to Thailand. Those want to return home can have their families and friends at home buy tickets.

Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA) president Charoen Wangananont said in regard to cancelled organised tours to Japan, association member companies are willing to refund some part of the fees to travellers, but the process may take at least 60 days.

Thai tourists generally travel to Japan from March to May. This year saw a rise in the number of Thai tourists by about 100,000 wishing to travel to the country, or around 30,000-40,000 travellers on a monthly average with an average Bt50,000 expense per person.

However, TJTA President Anek Srichiwachart said only 20-30 per cent of Japanese tourists have cancelled their trips to Thailand due to the recent disasters.

Mr Anek said the situations might affect Thai-Japan tourism in April-May when some 40,000-50,000 Japanese travellers usually visit Thailand for their ten-day holidays.

TJTA said the association had expected 1.4 million Japanese tourists to enter the country this year but now indicate the number of arrivals will be reduced to 1.2 million due to the Japan crisis.

Nearly one million Japanese --980,000-- visited Thailand last year, the second biggest group following Chinese travellers. (MCOT online news)