Tourism officials and businessmen welcomed the change in their fortunes last Tuesday while attending the Lantern Festival in Phuket municipality. "But that did not happen," Kongsak Khuphongsakon, chairman of the southern chapter of the Thai Hotels Association, told the Bangkok Post. "I believe Chinese tourist numbers will increase by 10% as a result." "My shop used to draw up to 50 Chinese customers daily, but now it has only 10-20 Chinese visitors per day. If Thai authorities improve security measures to restore confidence, they can easily bring back Chinese visitors because Thailand is one of the most welcoming countries," they said.

Source: Bangkok Post February 02, 2019 23:15 UTC