Tourism minister orders urgent hotel safety checks in Bangkok after deadly earthquake causes major damage, with bookings and tourism projections threatened by ongoing aftermath. Short-term cancellations rising as concerns grow over impact on industry.
Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports Surawong Thienthong has ordered an urgent review of all hotels and amenities in Bangkok. Certainly, this comes in the aftermath of Friday’s strong tremors in the city, which saw a 33-story building collapse and at least 19 people die across the city. In the meantime, there have already been short-term cancellations and tourism disruptions. There are fears that bookings over the next two weeks will be impacted. Thailand has been planning to achieve over 38 million visitors this year. Indeed, it badly needs to generate up to ฿2 trillion in income if the government’s hopes of 3% growth are to be realised. At length, over the weekend these prospects were fading as short-term and even longer-term implications of the quake are grasped.
On Sunday in Bangkok, focus was on the collapsed government building site in Chatuchak as rescue efforts continued frantically. There is undoubtedly still a chance that some people trapped in the wreckage of the proposed Auditors General headquarters building will be saved.
In short, it would be seen as a sign of hope for Thailand’s capital city. Certainly, confidence has been badly struck by the aftermath of damage seen on Friday after a magnitude 7.7 quake hit Myanmar near the city of Sagaing.
Experts confirm Friday’s earthquake as a major event, with serious implications for Bangkok’s infrastructure
At length, we are told it was the worst since 1956. Certainly, there have been other tremors felt in Bangkok, but this was quite serious.
Certainly, the video of the collapsing 33-story building circulating with hundreds of millions of views worldwide attests to this.
Significantly, Judith Hubbard, an earthquake scientist at Cornell University, says it was a major earthquake. She said it was “a really big, shallow earthquake” and furthermore, a particularly dangerous development.
“All available data so far strongly suggest a rupture on the Sagaing Fault,” explained Robin Lacassin, an earthquake scientist at the Paris Institute of Earth Physics. In particular, there were two reasons why the earthquake struck Bangkok so hard.
Firstly, it was channelled along the southern section of the Sagaing Fault. Secondly, Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, is built in deep, soft-alluvial soil which tends to amplify seismic forces. Certainly, questions are being asked.
Across the Thai capital, significant damage to buildings is evident. Certainly, we are told these are only cracks especially due to the strict new building code since the 2007 earthquakes. In brief, the buildings sway and therefore cause surface cracks on masonry and superficial finishes.
Experts call for urgent safety checks on high-rise buildings in Bangkok following recent earthquake
Nevertheless, Professor Dr. Amorn Pimarnmas, President of the Structural Engineers Association of Thailand, has called for in depth studies of all high-rise structures in Bangkok.
The 2017 building codes were designed to withstand an impact of 5 to 6 on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale for tremors. Some experts suggested that last Friday’s impact was 4 to 5. However, there is some disagreement about this.
Certainly, it may have been higher. In the meantime, Dr. Amorn Pimarnmas warns that buildings before 2007 or even before updated new regulations in 2021 need to be checked. At the same time, there is concern that the threat of the Sagaing Fault and its risk with Bangkok remains.
Certainly, in this age of online, immediate images of the building collapsing in Chatuchak have been beamed worldwide. In addition, many tourists in Bangkok on Friday gave friends aboard about their experience.
Casualties mount in Bangkok as death toll rises and damage to buildings continues to unfold
Presently, there are 12 confirmed deaths at the Chatuchak site.
In addition, there were 7 other deaths in incidents throughout the capital. On Sunday night, the death toll was 19, but that will certainly rise. For instance, the death toll in Chatuchak is unofficially 22, with bodies not yet recovered, while up to 80 are missing.
Indeed, there are widespread reports of minor damage and cracks in apartment buildings. Undeniably, some of these are more serious, with some buildings closed to inhabitants on Friday night pending surveys.
In addition, there are also reports of internal damage to some hotels and hostelries. In short, Thailand’s efforts to boost foreign tourism this year have run into a problem.
For instance, the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is already warning UK travellers to Thailand.
Thai tourism industry faces immediate setbacks as cancellations rise and bookings decline sharply
Indeed, the Thai Hotels Association (THA) has been reporting short-term cancellations from shocked and put-off guests since Friday. The top tourist organisation has further warned that it expects bookings to fall by 10-15% over the next two weeks.
Indeed, the organisation also reports that bookings for Songkran in April are down on last year. This comes as Thailand is experiencing a security crisis, at least in terms of perception in China. Chinese arrivals since February have fallen sharply.
At the same time, overall numbers are still up by 2.9%. In brief, it is all to play for Thai officials. At the same time, Adith Chairattananon, the secretary-general of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, warns of complacency.
“Tourists who haven’t made bookings to Thailand may decide to halt travel plans,” Mr. Adith says. “The impact could surface in the next two weeks.”
Thai government takes action, orders safety audits of hotels and tourist facilities in response to disaster
Meanwhile, Minister of Tourism and Sports Surawong Thienthong has more pragmatic matters in mind. In short, he has ordered all hotels and tourist facilities to be inspected and given the all-clear.
This order came on Saturday. Certainly, it shows that Mr. Surawong is aware of the threat faced by this disaster. Bangkok’s hotel network, many of the high-rise buildings, is the nucleus of Thailand’s foreign tourism industry.
For instance, most travellers stay in the capital for some time before moving to other hotspots. Therefore, any question over safety must be considered. Certainly, a safety audit is to take place covering all hotels and tourist amenities.
The minister was also under no illusion about how this international news will negatively impact bookings. Moreover, he was already prepared for the rather sluggish bookings for April.
Of course, the concern is that while numbers are up so far, they have been declining year on year since February 2025.
Meanwhile, it is not unusual for this time of year for the industry to have jitters. Typically, numbers will pick up at the end of the second quarter.
Tourism sector faces tough choices as economic outlook and international competition weigh heavily
Nevertheless, Bank of America has suggested cutting back this year’s ambitious target of 38.1 million visitors. At the same time, Thailand has been expected to generate ฿2 trillion in income from foreign tourism spending.
On one hand, this is 13% of the country’s GDP in technical terms. However, on the other hand, it accounts for 20% of employment either directly or indirectly.
Even more significantly, the income directly feeds into the country’s bottom line at a grassroots level. However, there are fears that a darker economic outlook in China, Asia and other countries may impede foreign tourist numbers this year.
Indeed, there is also a fear of Thailand’s exports. Exports and foreign tourism underpin Thailand’s GDP.
GDP growth forecast for 2025 faces uncertainties with rising competition and security concerns
Many analysts have pegged estimated GDP growth for Thailand to 2.8% this year. At this time, the Bank of Thailand has pencilled in 2.9%.
In the meantime, the kingdom is facing stiff competition from its Southeast Asian competitors such as Cambodia, Japan and particularly Vietnam.
Indeed, with rising prices and a range of other problems including smog, 2.5 particulate matter and security issues, Thailand will find it increasingly difficult.
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However, its appeal endures with a strong base of returning travellers. The question is, can it build on it, or will that break at some point and see things come tumbling down?
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