Thailands Many Lives (despite Political Turmoil, The Land Of Smiles Lands On Its Feet)

Black smoke billowed from the road and into the sky in Bangkoks central business district

. A 10 meter-high, sharpened-bamboo fence was hastily constructed by protestors to keep authorities at bay surrounded Lumpini Park, a public space in the center of town. A chorus of gunshots could be heard in the background.

During Spring 2010 Lumpini dominated international headlines as Red Shirt protestors scared travelers. This prompted travel advisories from the US, UK, and Canada and caused massive travel cancellations. The situation seemed dire. Headlines proclaimed that the Thai tourism sector had suffered a near-fatal blow and the Thai economy would lag the rest of Asia for years to come.

Today, Thailand is largely back to normal. Most signs of the unrest have been cleaned up, and destroyed properties have been repaired. According to the Kasikorn Research Center, foreign tourist confidence has rapidly restored and foreign visitors are expected to increase throughout this year by 10 per cent to at least 15.5 million. Travel+Leisure recently named the northern Thailand city of Chiang Mai as one of the worlds best cities in 2010.

A mere six months after the protests, Bangkok is back in business, which poses a question: how has Thailand, a country thats experienced 18 coups since 1932, continually bounced back?

Having lived in Bangkok since 1999 Ive concluded that Thailand is a political enigma, a democracy in progress and one of the only places in the world where you have a functioning democracy working next to a monarchy that still plays a major role in politics and day-to-day life. Over the past decade, Ive seen firsthand how protests go: public demonstrations are limited to a key area, are contained, end and things go back to normal. Its the Thai was their middle path.

Joe Cummings, former Lonely Planet guidebook writer and a leading expert on Thailand, explained his opinion about the recent political unrest. Its a predictable cycle in Thai politics, he said. Its a catharsis they need to have every 10-15 years in Thailand. Joe has called Thailand home since 1981 and has seen the kingdom reel from countless coups, protests and incidents, and bounce back, time and again.

Even with the violent images of a limited area in Bangkok broadcast to the world last May, Thailand remained safe even in the midst of political turmoil. Travelers who refrain from political discussions or joining demonstrations face no danger. Moreover, disruptions tend to be carefully confined. The further you were from Bangkok, the least you would know of any disruptions of the day-to-day life in the city. You could have visited 99.9% of the country during that period and never have known that anything was going on.

Throughout the protests, Thailand has a unique quality for keeping its house in order. Even protesters know that their economy relies on tourism dollars.

I've been here 22 years, and Bangkok protests are always very localized and contained says John Gray, owner of John Grays Sea Canoe in Phuket. During the recent Red Shirt crisis I spent three days in Bangkok and the only noticeable difference was Army soldiers guarding the skytrain. I laughed and joked with them to draw smiles, and felt reassured with their presence. Stores were open for business as usual. When theres money to be made, Thai's put their differences aside. Thai's understand the economic importance of the tourism industry and would never put tourists at risk.

Perhaps one of the most amazing things about the two-month protest was what happened afterwards. A spontaneous group assembled on Facebook and within a couple of days organized more than 4,000 ordinary people who took to the streets to wipe away the citys scars, all for the love of their city and country. Thais, expats, and even some tourists came together, grabbed mops and brooms, and cleaned their city up. Within 24-hours, there were few signs of the trouble. The smile was back.

Is it safe to go now? If the recent uptick in tourism is any indication, many people seem to think so. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, travel and tourism accounted for 10.4% of all employment in the country thus far in 2010, so the locals, no matter what color shirt they are wearing, remain generally friendly to foreigners.

[The protests] affected a lot of Thais, says Cummings. But I never doubted for a moment that it has ended. Thailand always lands on its feet.

The countrys peak season is from December to February, and local businesses and tourist attractions are already noticing a recovery. Many businessmen and tourists who put Thailand trips on hold are now pouring in, says Andrew Clark, co-owner of Q Bar in Bangkok. The local scene looks more promising with residents finally feeling confident to spend once more.

Travelers who came here expecting to see signs of further political unrest will be relieved to see that it is all business as usual in the Land of Smiles.

by: Scott Coates

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