Despite the recent horrors of Thailand getting covered in floodwater, the country is set to recover as it convinces tourists that 97% of the country is safe from further complications.
After constant growth in recent years and the establishment of a flourishing reputation on an international scale, things looked very rosy for Thailand.
That was until the worst floods in over 50 years managed to swamp the South Asians, leading to a series of cancellations, health concerns and occupancy rates in Bangkok hotels plummeting to around 60% of the standard rates.
Thailand has been on the canvas before with the 2004 tsunami and the 2003 SARS outbreak, so the floods are highly unlikely to provide a knockout blow this time around.
The challenge now is to convince tourists that 97% of Thailand is safe from flooding and that the floodwaters are beginning to recede not only around the capital, yet in less inhabited areas too. Confidence is slightly up and tourists are returning to places such as Pattaya and Phuket.
Some Japanese agencies are confident about the idea that their customer may rebook their trips and some of the biggest optimists expect Thailand’s current problems to be over in as little as a month.
When Thailand does recover from the floodwater panic, it could even prove to give current and potential tourists the impression that Thailand has the most modern infrastructure and ability to cope with a range of problems. The whole episode could even prove to be a silver lining for the booming Thai tourism industry.