Thailand: Deep South Hotels Seek More Help

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. October 14, 2008

By Sujintana Hemtasilpa, Bangkok Post, Thailand

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

BANGKOK, Thailand, December 8, 2005. While tourism business operators in other parts of Thailand are trying to tell international visitors that they are located far away from the violence-prone southernmost provinces, hoteliers in the Deep South are struggling and appealing for more loan assistance.

There have been almost no tourists in Pattani so far this year, leaving operators in the restive province hanging on to their last straw, said Anusart Suwanmongkol, managing director of the C.S. Pattani Hotel and also president of the Association of Tourism Business of Pattani.

The situation in adjacent Yala and Narathiwat is about the same, except for Betong district of Yala and Sungai Kolok district of Narathiwat.

Long known as entertainment destinations for Malaysian and Singaporean tourists, the two districts have not been affected as seriously as other areas of the three provinces, said Mr Anusart.

While there are many hotels in Sungai Kolok and Betong where tourists can stay overnight, the number of rooms in the town centres of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat is quite limited.

For this reason, tourists who visited the three provinces, particularly Pattani, in the past usually made day-trip visits, while staying overnight somewhere else, either in Sungai Kolok, Betong or Hat Yai district of Songkhla province.

Those day trips are mostly pilgrimage visits, said Mr Anusart.

In Pattani, Buddhist tourists usually head to the Chang Hai temple which is home to the legend about a monk who could turn salty seawater into fresh water, and the Lim Korniew goddess shrine.

Many also came to see Islamic historical sites such as the Krue Se and the Pattani Central mosques.

The number of day-trip visits has gradually declined since the unrest broke out in early 2004, and virtually disappeared following the bombings at Hat Yai International Airport on April 3 this year.

Most hotels in Pattani and nearby provinces are now relying mainly on revenue from functions, meetings and conferences held by government agencies, said Mr Anusart.

However, what has kept them in business to date is the only financial assistance scheme available in the region from the Bank of Thailand.

Under the scheme, businesses that took loans from commercial banks are allowed a special interest rate of 1.5 percent for an extendable period of one year.

But Mr Anusart said the scheme had proved to be inadequate. At the very least, the low-interest period should be longer than one year so that operators can make long-term plans for their businesses.

To draw tourists back to the area, he said relevant organisations have to rebuild the image and confidence in the safety of the area among tourists, something impossible to do in the foreseeable future.

Amid sporadic violence, Mr Anusart said the government could help by encouraging the organisation of Mice (meeting, incentive, conference, exhibition) activities in the region.

And while tourists are not returning, there was a good opportunity for the Tourism and Sports Ministry and other agencies to restore and renovate tourist attractions in the area, he added.

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Copyright (c) 2005, Bangkok Post, Thailand