Thailand’s year long mourning period following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej has put Asia’s airlines, tour agents and cruise operators on alert.
Representatives for Korean Air Lines Co. Asiana Airlines Inc. and Jetstar, which is owned by Qantas Airways Ltd., said they’re monitoring the situation while Japan Airlines Co. and Hana Tour Service Inc., South Korea’s biggest tour operator, expect a dip in demand during the mourning period.
Partying and drinking alcohol in public has been discouraged in Thailand during the mourning period which might make Thai resorts less attractive for some vacationers.
Thailand attracted 7.9 million visitors from China last year, a 70 percent increase from 2014, and posted a quarterly record for Chinese visitors again in the three months to March this year. China’s embassy in Thailand issued a notice on its website to remind Chinese tourists to follow the traditional customs at public places during this time.
“In the short term, we could possibly get some weak data and I’m sure tourist arrivals will be affected,” Sean Darby, chief global equity strategist at Jefferies Group LLC, told Bloomberg TV in Hong Kong, adding he doesn’t see any dramatic changes to policy. “There’s going to be knock-on effect generally from industry slowing down,” but short-term outflows will be “easily managed by the authorities,” he said.
