Floods in Sukhothai hit tourism plans

The floods that hit many northern provinces have rendered tourism prospects in Sukhothai worse as local travellers cancel trips to the city.

Wiwat Tharawiwat, chairman of the lower northern chapter of the Thai Hotels Association, said that more than 30 per cent of hotel bookings were cancelled due to flooding, although the deluge only affected parts of the province such as Sawankhalok and Si Samrong districts.

The vast majority of hotels and tourism attractions, such as Sukhothai Historical Park, remain intact, while residents in the main city outside flood-prone areas continue their daily lives, Mr Wiwat has said.

But facts are no substitute for fear, and over the last two weeks, hoteliers have received an explosion of phone calls on news regarding flooding in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Sinlaku triggered by tropical storm Lampang.

During July and August, the average occupancy rate of 150 hotels in Sukhothai was 20 per cent, compared to 70 per cent in the previous year.

"Floods have further dampened the tourism situation after the sluggish business because of the coronavirus outbreak that struck the industry here," Mr Wiwat said.

The situation is all the worse, as foreign travellers who normally visit Sukhothai during the green season can not now travel to Thailand.

Mr Wiwat said that the domestic stimulus scheme mainly benefits operators in major cities as opposed to the 55 second-tier provinces, which include Sukhothai.

Province tourism operators are asking for privileges to boost less-popular destinations. The scheme could come with a subsidy of up to 70-80 per cent as these provinces have lower living costs.

The scheme time could be expanded beyond Oct 31 or the end of the year, enabling local tourists to book hotel rooms at least three days before check-in.

Satit Boonthong, president of the Nan Tourism Business Association, said the recent flash floods in the province did not impact the overall tourism sentiment as only 10 per cent of reservations were cancelled.

Hoteliers try to keep guests posted with the latest information while Thai AirAsia operates three or four flights a day as usual.

"The most important need for operators after experiencing a tourism downturn from the epidemic and the floods is usable financial aid," Mr Satit said. "Therefore the government should accelerate the soft loans to help reduce the virus' effects."

He said some operators, especially in hard-hit Wiang Sa district, will also need to renovate properties after the floods.