Pattaya "as bad for Thailand as airport closures"

BANGKOK, April 11 - The cancellation of a high-profile Asian summit in Thailand because of political unrest and the declaration of a state of emergency in the venue area is a catastrophe for tourism, sector officials said on Saturday.

The disorder in the resort town of Pattaya would mean losses worth no less than the estimated 130 billion baht ($3.7 billion) caused by the closure of Bangkok's two main airports late last year during previous unrest, Kongkrit Hiranyakij, president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, said.

Charoen Wangananon, spokesman of the Federation of Thai Tourism Association, told TV: "I can't begin to say how it will affect us. Today's events have been as bad as the airport seizure and this has badly hurt the industry."

Thailand earns about 540 billion baht from tourism annually, and in a normal year about 14 million foreign tourists visit the country, Kongkrit said.

Tourists from the 15 countries whose leaders were at the Pattaya summit account for more than 60 percent, 8.5 million tourists a year, he said.

"For sure, they will question whether it is safe for them to come here following the poor security for their leaders this time round," he said.

"The impact will not only be for Pattaya town but the whole tourism industry and we think it will continue to pull back the industry over the next six to nine months," he said. ($1=35.38 Baht)