Current Political Situation

In 1932, King Prajadhipok signed Thailand’s first constitution and thus ended 800 years of absolute monarchy. For the past seven decades, Thailand has been learning and adopting the Western democratic system.

There has been a huge amount of media interest in the recent events in Thailand however as issued by the Pacific Asia Travel Association, Thailand is still ready to welcome visitors and can confirm that people can carry out their livelihood as usual with the country’s economic and financial system functioning normally. The PATA has gathered industry views to accurately describe what prospective travelers can expect in Thailand.

The tourism facts as of September 3 are as follows:-

Bangkok International Airport is operating normally. Services have resumed as normal at Phuket airport. All other regional airports are operating normally.

Major surface routes between Bangkok and other parts of Thailand are unaffected, although there may be disruptions to rail services to some provinces.

Bangkok's city taxi and rail services are unaffected.

All hotels and resorts in Bangkok and throughout Thailand are open for business as usual.

All tourist attractions, shopping centers, markets, restaurants and clubs are operating normally in Bangkok and throughout the Kingdom.

"Many of Thailand's prospective visitors are understandably reluctant to travel when they hear about a state of emergency being declared and see images of violent clashes in media reports," said PATA President and CEO Peter de Jong.

"The reality, however, is that life is continuing as normal in Bangkok and Thailand and that, as of today (September 3), there is minimal threat to the safety of visitors to the Kingdom."

Going forward, we believe there are going to be some twists and turns, however there is a real belief and desire to continue to develop a strong democratic system and in Phuket foreign investment in property continues to be welcomed. The outlook remains positive.