Korean tensions forecast to boost visitors

Escalating geopolitical tensions in the Korea Peninsula should be a boon to local tourism, as it will increase the number of South Korean tourists and shift Chinese travellers toward Thailand, says Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul.

Ms Kobkarn said the number of South Korean visitors to Thailand is likely to increase in the remaining months of the year.

The number of visitors from South Korea increased from 134,310 in July 2016 to 152,515 in July this year — a 13.6% rise.

Last year, 1.46 million South Korean tourists travelled to Thailand, up 6.6% from 1.37 million in 2015.

That number represented 3% of total foreign visitors that year.

During the first half of this year, Thailand received more than 700,000 visitors from South Korea.

Ms Kobkarn said the Transport Ministry on Wednesday negotiated with South Korean tourism and aviation organisations in Seoul to promote bilateral tourism and asked for more airlines to fly to Thailand to cope with greater demand in the coming high season.

Four Korean airlines are scheduled to add Thailand into their network soon, with Bangkok as the main gateway, along with other major tourist destinations.

Currently, four airlines operate 20 flights per day between South Korea and Thailand — to Bangkok and Phuket.

She said tensions in the Korea Peninsula will push many Chinese tourists who had earlier planned on visiting North or South Korea to visit Thailand instead.

“The problem will somehow bring a positive benefit for the Thai tourism sector,” she said.

According to the tourism industry’s sources, the tensions are also expected to dissuade Thai tourists from travelling to South Korea.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization, 24,631 Thai tourists visited South Korea in July, down 9.7% year-on-year.

Visitors from many countries in Asia including China, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore were also reported to have plunged between 2.8-69.3% in July.

A representative from the Thai Travel Agents Association who asked not to be named said the number of Thai tourists to South Korea has been contracting since May, when Korea’s immigration bureau tightened its procedures to prevent Thais from working in the country illegally.

The association said that the current crisis in Korea is taking a heavy toll on travel sentiment, forcing many Thais to adopt a wait-and-see attitude about traveling there.

But the source said if no terrible incident occurs, more tourists will visit Korea during the last quarter.