Tourism confidence index decreases in 3rd quarter

BANGKOK, Sept 26 (TNA) -- Thailand’s tourism confidence index in the third quarter slightly decreased to 96 prompting calls for boosting the industry. The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) Tuesday reported the country’s Tourism Confidence Index from its studies and assessment. TCT President Ittirit Kinglake said the lower figure showed the negative impact of the tragic boat accident in Phuket in June on Thailand’s tourism industry. The boat accident killed more than 40 Chinese tourists and led many Chinese tourists to cancel their trips to Thailand. “Since August the number of commercial flights from China has dropped from about 12 flights to four, reflecting Chinese tourists’ low confidence in Thailand’s tourism,” he said. TCT planned to present its recommendations on urgent short-term measures to revive the industry to the government, he said. Projecting the last quarter performance, the TCT set the target at 103, over the benchmark score of 100, said Ittirit. The fourth quarter considered high-season normally saw positive environment for tourism business growth, he said. (TNA)