Thai soldiers stand guard along roads blocked around the Victory Monument, where anti-coup protesters were gathering on previous days, in Bangkok on May 30.
Bangkok:
Thailand's once-booming tourism industry is scrambling to arrest a slump in foreign visitor numbers after a military coup and a night-time curfew tarnished its reputation as the "Land of Smiles".
While most tourists in the Southeast Asian nation barely noticed when the generals suddenly seized power on May 22 in a bloodless coup, the impact is starting to be felt with many hotel rooms in the capital unoccupied.
"Hotels were dramatically hit," said a manager at a luxury hotel in Bangkok whose occupancy rates have fallen below 30 percent, compared with above 70 percent a year ago.
Foreign visitor numbers nationwide slumped 10.6 percent in May compared with a year earlier, to roughly 1.74 million people, the tourism and sports ministry reported on Friday.
Bookings had already suffered because of months of political unrest, and the government has lowered its forecast for tourist arrivals this year to 25.9 million, down from an initial target of 28 million.
While most tourists in the Southeast Asian nation barely noticed when the generals suddenly seized power on May 22 in a bloodless coup, the impact is starting to be felt with many hotel rooms in the capital unoccupied.
"Hotels were dramatically hit," said a manager at a luxury hotel in Bangkok whose occupancy rates have fallen below 30 percent, compared with above 70 percent a year ago.
Foreign visitor numbers nationwide slumped 10.6 percent in May compared with a year earlier, to roughly 1.74 million people, the tourism and sports ministry reported on Friday.
Bookings had already suffered because of months of political unrest, and the government has lowered its forecast for tourist arrivals this year to 25.9 million, down from an initial target of 28 million.
