CHON BURI : Bangkok's flood crisis is taking its toll on tourism in the eastern provinces, with many foreign tourists cancelling their bookings.
Chon Buri's Pattaya has been hit hardest by the floods.
"Pattaya is probably feeling the greatest impact, as many tour groups from Hong Kong, China, South Korea and India have postponed their visits," said Chatchawal Supachayanont, general manager of the Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya.
Mr Chatchawal said the hotel was now suffering the impact of the flood crisis as room bookings for December and January were down sharply from the same period in previous years.
"Foreign tourists are in a mind of waiting and seeing. I expect it will affect tourism only in the short term," he said.
However, if the floods do not recede soon, it would certainly affect the long-term confidence of foreign visitors, Mr Chatchawal said.
He said foreigners fear that many restaurants and shops will be closed, making their stay uncomfortable.
Since the floods hit Bangkok roughly three weeks ago, many city residents have fled their swamped homes to the eastern provinces of Chon Buri and Rayong because they are a short drive from Bangkok.
Mr Chatchawal said Pattaya especially was drawing many Bangkokians, boosting the number of local visitors to higher levels than in the same period last year.
Mr Chatchawal said though the number of Bangkokians visiting Pattaya could compensate for fewer foreign visitors to a degree, their stay in the seaside city will not generate as much money as foreign visitors would, especially as Thailand enters its tourism high season.
"People who come here now are not in the mood to spend their money on sightseeing or anything that will help spur the local economy," he said.
Attapol Wannakij, chief of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Chon Buri office, said the floods in Bangkok have also hurt tourism in other provinces.
"At least 10-15 percent of foreign tourists cancelled their visits after learning Don Mueang airport was submerged," he said.
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