Khon Kaen tourism, meetings take a hitRising oil prices and the Middle East war are taking a heavy toll on Khon Kaen's tourism and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (Mice) industries, with widespread cancellations of hotel bookings and seminars. Nattiya Tantasook, president of the Khon Kaen Tourism and Mice Association (KKTMA) and acting chair of the Tourism Council of Khon Kaen, said on Wednesday the Middle East oil crisis and escalating geopolitical tensions elsewhere are severely affecting the tourism and Mice sectors. Ms Nattiya urged the government to introduce support measures, particularly financial assistance such as soft loans, relaxed lending conditions and greater liquidity to help businesses stay afloat. She also called for a review of the classification of tourism businesses as high-risk borrowers by financial institutions, which she said continues to restrict their access to funding. Ms Nattiya said about 50% of hotel bookings in Khon Kaen have been cancelled, while planned conferences, seminars and other events have been either called off or indefinitely postponed -- a situation she described as worse than during the Covid-19 period.

Source: Bangkok Post March 26, 2026 07:30 UTC