BANGKOK—For more than two months this spring, thousands of red-shirted protesters camped in the heart of Bangkok, shutting down a dozen hotels and four high-end shopping malls.    General managers of five hotels close to the conflict zones each said they lost millions of dollars in revenue between April and June. Hotels throughout the country are resorting to promotions and tours.  The protesters, mostly rural poor from the north and northeast, demanded dissolution of parliament and fresh elections. The focal point of a three-square-mile occupation area was a large televised stage set up at Rajaprasong. This four-way intersection is best known to visitors for the Erawan Shrine, the Grand Hyatt Erawan and the huge CentralWorld shopping mall.

The protesters were predominantly peaceful, respectful of property and not hostile to tourists or foreigners. But in the final week, as the army encircled the area preparing for its 19 May final assault, violence exploded north of the protest zone along Rajaprarop Road and to the south in the main commercial districts. By then, at least 20 hotels had closed. In Bangkok alone, 38 buildings were set on fire. In the final tally, nearly 90 people were dead and thousands wounded.   For at least the fifth time since the December 2004 tsunami, the Thai tourism industry is in tatters. According to STR, the citywide hotel occupancy in May was 26.2%, down 38.3% from May 2009, about the same as the decline in room demand for the same period. June occupancy has crept up to 34.9%, but two recent small bombings could threaten to keep tourists away, despite the Prime Minister’s lift of the emergency decree in some provinces. The GM interviews took place before these bombings.

Prakit Chinamourphong, Thai Hotel Association president said: “It’s difficult to see Thai tourism back to normal in the fourth quarter of this year or even in the first half of 2011 because international tourists aren’t confident to travel to Thailand”….for a full report click here, from Hotel News Now…