Accurate Reports Vital for Future of Thailand Tourism Industry
House of Travel made the decision to send their Asia product manager over to Thailand to provide accurate reports on the
various areas affected and their suitability for travellers to return.
Geoff Grogan who has been there since January 6, said his visit had been met with great enthusiasm by the various hotel
and tour operators particularly in the Phuket area.
"Apparently I am the first travel product manager to visit them and it has given them a real boost of enthusiasm knowing
House of Travel is considering Phuket as a safe destination to recommend to our customers," Grogan remarked.
European product managers were reportedly arriving next week to carry out their assessment of the area.
Grogan said that while Phuket was up and running, with no shortages of food or running water, House of Travel was taking
a precautionary approach of recommending that clients who want to go to Phuket should for the time being should stay at
accommodation at the northern or southern beaches and travel in if they want to visit Patong Beach or to enjoy the
nightlife at Bangla Road.
"We are so aware of how important tourism is to Thailand and we want to get people back holidaying there as soon as is
feasible, hence my trip out here, however our main concern is for sustained tourism for Thailand.
Most importantly I can report it is safe to travel to Phuket, there are no health concerns at all as previously
reported, it is very quiet as a result of few tourists so the atmosphere is not what I would call 'normal" but this is
due mainly to the large amount of construction going on in the Patong area," Grogan said.
House of Travel reported they had been proactively contacting customers booked to travel to the effected areas in the
next month and making adjustments on a case by case basis.
While sightseeing tours were functioning again Grogan said Khao Lak was not accessible to tourists and staying on Phi
Phi Island was not advised due to the lack of infrastructure currently in place, even day trips had been stopped. Grogan
was also assessing Krabi, Koh Lanta, Koh Chang and Koh Samet.
Grogan highly recommended anyone considering travelling to any of the effected areas to discuss their plans with their
travel consultant.
"I am sending reports back on a daily basis to ensure our consultants have the latest information to assist their
customers in making an informed decision on where to go and where to stay. We want them to have a great holiday," he
said.
House of Travel has currently collected $12,000 for the Red Cross and donations can be made at any House of Travel
outlet throughout New Zealand.
ENDS