Martial law in Thailand remains, is this good or bad for tourism?

AmTaz
AmTaz
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Written by Linda Hohnholz

Thailand is entering its peak tourism industry, but it’s not business as normal. Some regions in Thailand may see the end of military martial law.

Thailand is entering its peak tourism industry, but it’s not business as normal. Some regions in Thailand may see the end of military martial law. This is to help the travel and tourism industry, that is struggling in Thailand. Military order may not always be bad, specially for keeping it together and honest when it comes to tourism.

For most of Thailand martial law will not be lifted for the foreseeable future, the justice minister said on Friday

The tourism sector accounts for nearly 10 per cent of gross domestic product. Thailand expects around 25 million tourists this year, down a million from 2013, the government said this month, thanks in part to protests in Bangkok that kept many visitors away.

The army imposed martial law nationwide in May, days before it took power in a coup that it said was necessary to end months of street demonstrations aimed at ousting Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

According to todayโ€™s Amnesty International report, it has become part of the military governmentโ€™s modus operandi to crack down on the smallest forms of dissent, including reading George Orwellโ€™s 1984 and eating a sandwich in public โ€“ at one point a symbolic form of peaceful protest.

In an attempt to improve things for those running the travel and tourism industry and hopefully tempt them back, the resort island of Phuket has also been subject to a widespread crackdown on corruption and anti-social behaviour.

In an attempt to crush the islandโ€™s deeply-rooted โ€œmafiaโ€ connections, taxi and tuk-tuk drivers have been arrested, jet-ski operators have been suspended pending proper licensing, and illegal structures have been bulldozed from beaches.

For now though, those in search of an island paradise will find that Phuket is a lot closer to that vision than it was a year ago.
Exhausted visitors arriving at Phuket (HKT) airport will no longer be forced to pay ludicrously inflated fares to unscrupulous taxi drivers.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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