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Dec 17, 2008, 9:22 GMT

Thailand projects 3 million "missing" tourists this peak season

Bangkok - An estimated 3 million foreign tourists are expected to go 'missing' from Thailand this high season - December to March - as a result of the recent closure of Bangkok's two airports by protestors, the tourism council predicted Wednesday. From November 25 to December 3, the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy seized and closed Bangkok's two international airports - Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang - stranding about 350,000 international travellers in the capital. The political manoeuvre, which eventually helped topple the previous government, also lost the country more than 3 billion dollars in lost revenues from exports and tourism, industry sources estimated. It came just as Thailand was entering its peak season when tourists from Europe, the US, Scandinavia and Russia usually flock to Thailand to enjoy its warm climate and welcoming beach resorts to escape the northern winter. But not this season. The Tourism Council of Thailand expects 3 million tourists to avoid Thailand this peak season, losing the country 109 billion baht (3.2 billion dollars) in revenues. 'We expect the tourists to divert to neighbouring countries, particularly Bali and Malaysia,' council president Kongkrit Hiranyakit was quoted as saying by The Nation news website. For all of 2009, the council expects tourist arrivals to decline to 12.8 million, down from this year's estimated 14.1 million.

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