Floods in Thai South receding, tourism not much affected

BANGKOK, January 12 (TNA) - As inundations in most areas in the Thai South have been receding, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) reports that the local tourism has not much affected by the latest floods in the region. Sureerat Lakkanapanich, a senior director of BOT southern office, told journalists on Thursday that the latest floods in the Thai South have not much affected local tourism, as the situation in some flooded tourism sites has been returning to normal. Sureerat said that only a small number of tourists have canceled their hotel bookings on Samui Island in Surat Thani Province, while the tourism in Krabi Province on the Andaman coast has already returned to normal. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn, meanwhile, invited Thai people to visit the southern region to help stimulate the local economy after the latest flooding in the region. Yuthasak stressed he has received an initial report that tourist destinations and hotels in the Thai South have not much affected by the latest inundations, as they are mostly located on high grounds but floods have mostly damaged local transport routes. The TAT governor acknowledged a thorough post-flood assessment is needed to see how much the latest massive floods in the Thai South have affected gross domestic product (GDP) in the local tourism sector. The governor pointed out apart from public donations in the form of relief packs to flood victims, visits to the southern region by Thai people could help quickly revive the tourism sector in the region and the local economy eventually.(TNA)