Still No Flights at Suvarnabhumi Airport…Crisis in Thailand

November 30th, 2008 at 10:15pm

Well it has been a week now and we still have our major international closed in Bangkok. It’s crazy really that this has gone on so long and the government doesn’t seem to be doing anything about it! Everyone keeps hoping that this will end quickly and so I think most people just waited a few days, extending their holidays a bit. By Saturday a lot of tourists started to look for other ways to get home. We are lucky here in Koh Samui in that we have an international airport here with direct flights to Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, so many people are packing the airport and trying to get on those flights. Others are taking a boat to the mainland and then buses down to Malaysia. From here to Kuala Lumpur by bus it is about a 20-hour journey. But compared to the situation in Bangkok, we are pretty lucky. Some tourists are still holding out, hoping for fast resolution, mainly because they cannot afford to buy a new plane ticket home. The main problem we are feeling now is that no new tourists are arriving…and at the beginning of the high season in Thailand, this is not good for business! The Spa is very quiet at the moment where normally there would be 3 to 4 times the number of guests there. So we wait, and most importantly, hope for a peaceful resolution to this conflict.

If anyone is looking for a good holiday destination, Thailand is a fantastic place to visit, even more so now because you can negotiate good room rates and not have to deal with crowds! So, as long as you find an alternative way to arrive here, be sure to come – the Thai people really need the business! And I can tell you that the average Thai person is very unhappy with this current situation; most of them are embarrassed and feel that their country is losing face. I would have to tend to agree.

So, we continue to wait.

Entry Filed under: Koh Samui,South,Thailand