Friday's earthquake has struck the Thai tourism industry, leading to slow bookings for the upcoming Songkran holiday, while airlines have started receiving inquiries for refunds and cancellations.
Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong yesterday discussed the impact of the earthquake on tourism with the tourism sector, while the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) plans to issue a list of qualified hotels following safety inspections for foreign tourists.
Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, president of the Thai Hotels Association (THA), said most hotels in Bangkok are safe and have been inspected by an engineer.
The Department of Provincial Administration has asked hotel operators to examine the structural stability and safety standards of their buildings as required by the hotel regulations and report back to the department, since hotels are considered to be a public building and are used by many locals and tourists.
It also indicated that if a hotel was damaged, the operator must notify the department's registrar within 15 days of the incident.
He said he is more concerned about the safety of tourists who booked unlicensed accommodation in case unprecedented events occured in the future.
Such illegal accommodation might not record guests' data, while the structures of these buildings might not fully comply with safety laws due to additional modifications, he said.
Moreover, the image of the collapse of the State Audit Office building has also spread widely via social media and global news outlets, impacting Thailand's tourism safety sentiment.
Mr Thienprasit said the government should quickly investigate its cause and communicate to the public as most buildings in Bangkok have not been severely damaged.
It should also improve the real-time disaster alert system with a hub platform which provides vital information.
Paisarn Sukjarean, president of the THA's upper northern chapter, said although Chiang Mai is located near the earthquake's epicentre in Myanmar, hotels in the province have not reported severe damage, including around 15 high-rise hotels with more than 10 storeys.
Mr Paisarn said there are only now around three buildings in Chiang Mai, one school and two residential buildings that cannot be entered.
Chiang Mai Municipality has acted quickly in terms of building inspections in the municipal area, the prime area for tourism with major buildings.
Although it might take until the end of this week to see the impact on the Songkran celebrations due to the short booking window, hotels have already seen slower booking rates than expected since the weekend.
Siripakorn Cheawsamoot,TAT deputy governor for Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas, said the agency will help hotel operators coordinate with the Tourism Ministry in order to publicise the list of hotels that are qualified in terms of safety following inspections.
Mr Siripakorn said the tourism minister is also considering a special budget for assisting with property inspections.
Nuntaporn Komonsittivate, head of commercial at Thai Lion Air, said the airline is operating all flights as normal, however, declaring a state of emergency in Bangkok had undeniably impacted the travel sentiment of inbound tourists.
Mrs Nuntaporn said it is now crucial for the government to assure safe travel in Thailand, providing official reports from certified experts to restore confidence in time for the Songkran festival.
Some foreign passengers inquired about flight cancellation and refund policies.
Meanwhile, SET-listed Asset World Corp announced a 50% discount for room rates across its nine hotels in Bangkok until April 6 for those impacted by the earthquake.
