Thailand Update by PATA CEO on CNN

Bangkok (Thailand) – January 17, 2014 – PATA CEO Martin Craigs, interviewed live from Bangkok on CNN on 16 January, told the audience that tourism was continuing normally throughout much of the Thai capital, and that even the political protest sites had something of a “carnival” atmosphere by day. Nevertheless, while tourism numbers to Thailand, even in December, had been rising, there is increasing concern over new bookings to Easter and beyond.

The CEO on behalf of PATA members called for an amicable resolution to the conflict. See the full interview here. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the country welcomed a total of 26,735,583 visitor arrivals in 2013, exceeding the year’s original target of 26.1 million. The figures represent a 19.6% increase over the 22,353,903 international tourists in 2012.

About PATA
Since its foundation in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), a not-for profit membership association, has achieved international acclaim by acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region.

The Association provides aligned advocacy, leadership and events to its members, comprising 90 government, state and city tourism bodies, nearly 30 international airlines, airports and cruise lines, 57 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in Asia Pacific and beyond.

Thousands of travel professionals belong to dozens of local PATA chapters worldwide. The chapters organise travel industry training and business development events. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office is in Bangkok.