Thailand’s Tourism Bureau hopes that the country’s upcoming Songklang Festival will generate more tourism revenue than last year, despite forecasts that the March 28 earthquake would weaken tourist arrivals to the kingdom.
The 7.7 magnitude earthquake that exerted its epicenter in adjacent Myanmar caused the collapse of a building under construction near Bangkok’s famous Chatuchak market, raising questions about the safety of Thai high-rise buildings.
Still, Thailand’s Tourism Bureau said in a press release released Thursday that the festival event (the country’s largest) for a few days in mid-April generated 26.5 billion baht ($763 million), an 8% increase from the previous year.
Of that, the estimated 7.3 billion baht will come from around 476,000 international arrivals, according to the release.
Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism has also doubled its forecast for foreign arrivals in 2025, with around 38 million visitors expected to arrive this year, according to Reuters.
The country’s Minister of Tourism and Sports said that over 1,000 hotel rooms were cancelled shortly after the tremors, but that the impact of natural disasters on tourism is expected to be inherently short-term.
However, the Thai Hotels Association said it expects the earthquake during the 2025 Song Clan Festival to affect the “tourist atmosphere,” according to Google Translation, a local media report linked to its Facebook page.
The report says the event is marked by splashing water of joy on streets around the country, and expects a drop of at least 10%-15% in tourism revenue two weeks after Quake.
“The collapse of buildings in the Chatuchak region has become a virus online, raising questions about Thailand’s safety. Therefore, it is extremely important to build urgent confidence among tourists during this year’s Songklang Festival,” the report said.
Hurry to alleviate your concerns
Shortly after the earthquake, Thai officials rushed to alleviate tourist concerns.
In a post-global joint statement prepared by the Thai real estate and financial sector, Krienklaitierenkul, chairman of the Thai Industry’s nonprofit federation, said, “Thailand will still maintain thorough monitoring of conditions for government officials, conduct comprehensive building safety inspections and provide support to those impacting the earthquake.
In the same statement, the president of the Council of Regulatory Technology said that Thailand “subject to seismic resistance as all structures inspected are designed according to current seismic engineering standards.”
Lebua’s rooftop skybar, featured in the film “The Hangover 2”, is located on the 64th floor of Bangkok’s provincial tower.
Reuters | Soe Zeya Tun
Still, some hotels reached directly with guests and staff to calm concerns about the integrity of the building.
Narawadee Bualert, president and CEO of Lebua Hotels & Resorts, issued a statement that the location in Bangkok’s provincial towers has been inspected and that “engineers have confirmed that the earthquake does not affect the structural integrity of the building.”
“From today, our website will be updated daily with real-time safety updates. You will also find engineering reports, details of historic construction, and visual documents showing how Lebua was constructed to withstand both wind loading and seismic activity,” she writes.
Thailand has been trying to ease worries from Chinese travelers for years, but for another reason. The fictional 2023 Chinese blockbuster film No More Bets depicted a Chinese couple seduced by Southeast Asia by human traffickers.
Maintain the course
Morgan Awyong in Singapore was at a restaurant in Bangkok’s Chinatown area when the earthquake struck.
“The water in the cup was moving and all the lights on the ceiling were shaking,” he said. “Outside… there were birds flying away, the dogs barked, and one by one, the neighborhood alarm arrived.”
He said office buildings and stores have been closed, as well as his hotel, to carry out building checks. He received a foot massage and added that he returned to the hotel when he resumed.
He said a friend who was traveling with a friend “didn’t change their plans at all, especially when most services resumed the next day.”
The Thai hospitality industry is hoping that the countryside will be attracted attention due to season 3 of HBO’s hit show The White Lotus, which was filmed primarily in Samui, and others will follow suit by booking.
The country is also expected to attract more visitors this year, following the legalization of same-sex marriages in January. It plans to establish the country as a wedding venue for gay couples’ local destinations.
According to the World Bank, in 2024, the country welcomed around 35 million international tourists.
– CNBC’s Bella Stoddart contributed to this report.
