Appeal of Hua Hin undimmed
The deadly bomb blast in Hua Hin in mid-August worried some couples planning destination weddings in Thailand, but most view the incident as an isolated occurrence that will not have a long-term impact.
“Hua Hin attracts simple crowds and people feel very secure in the city because it is the monarchy’s official residence. The incident was very shocking to everyone and couples were very concerned,” said Sally Mangharam, managing director of the event management company Mantra Events.
On the day of the bombings, she said she received several phone calls from clients concerned about their wedding plans in Hua Hin.
“They didn’t feel very comfortable and considered cancelling,” she told Asia Focus.
Ms Mangharam explained that foreigners, especially westerners, tended to get only a superficial outline of news from countries such as Thailand. “We need to reassure them that the situation was a one-time incident and that they will be safe,” she said.
Travellers tend to heed travel warnings from their embassies and while there were some advisories there were no dire warnings after the Aug 11-12 events, meaning that there was nothing to worry about, she said.
In her view, the impact on the industry will be minimal and Thailand will remain popular as a wedding destination.
Thidadon Tantapaiboon, executive director of The Wedding Bliss Thailand, noted that a destination wedding requires longterm planning, usually 8-12 months, and an isolated incident will not affect the industry in the long run.
“Those that had their big days scheduled around the time of the incident were concerned so we had to explain to them that their weddings are held in private hotels far from the crowds to assure them that they will be safe,” she said.
Ms Thidadon said she was still receiving new inquiries even after the bombing incidents. “The future of destination weddings in Thailand remains as bright as it ever was,” she added.
Sirithip Thipthammakhun, the event and catering manager at Rest Detail Hotel Hua Hin, added that cancelling or postponing a destination wedding could be very expensive and problematic given that it is overseas so guests may have already arranged flights and accommodation.
“Most of our clients are from Hong Kong and China and they did not display any signs of panic,” she said.
“An incident like this may have a short-term impact on tourists coming to Hua Hin, but not on couples that have planned their wedding day for months. It’s not always convenient to change the date.”