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Deleted Member
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The following is from 'The Australian Financial Review'-
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Resorts Beef Up Security
Thursday, 17 October 2002
South-East Asia's top tourist resorts, from Phuket and Pattaya in Thailand to Penang and Langkawi in Malaysia and Boracay in the Philippines, are now bristling with machine guns and a greater security presence among the swaying palm trees.
The Bali attacks have prompted dramatically increased security throughout South-East Asian resorts, as governments seek to protect the region's biggest foreign-exchange earner - tourism.
In Thailand, Police Major-General Sanit Meepan, head of the tourism police, said security units in the two top tourist destinations, Phuket and Pattaya, were on red alert. "Security has been heightened at entertainment centres, airports, seaports and bus and rail terminals," he said.
In Boracay, the pearl of the tourism industry in the Philippines, Superintendent Edgardo Mendoza, head of the Aklan provincial police, said access had been restricted to the port jetty at Barangay Caticlan in Malay town, a 15-minute boat ride from the resort.
Security has been stepped up at airports in Penang, Langkawi and Kuala Lumpur, with police patrols increased at nightclubs visited by foreigners in the city's "golden triangle" business and tourism area.
Tourism is a lifeline of the regional economy, accounting for about 3.5 to 5 per cent of GDP in the Association of South-East Asian countries. ASEAN grabbed 4.5 per cent of the global market, with 40 million tourists visiting the region last year.
Airlines and tourism authorities are on the defensive throughout the region, working out contingency plans following the Bali attacks.
While no-one openly wants to take advantage of the suffering in Bali, most tourism authorities are considering discreet campaigns, aimed at Australians, to provide an alternative to Indonesia.
The Philippines is so far the only ASEAN country not to mince words in openly seeking Australian visitors to come to the country instead of Bali.
"We do not salivate on the misery of our neighbours, but we could perhaps secretly launch a program to entice Australians, who would otherwise visit Bali, to consider the Philippines as an alternative destination," Richard Gordon, Tourism Secretary, told the appropriations committee of Congress.
Mr Gordon was immediately lynched in the Philippines media for insensitive remarks. It was also pointed out that many tourists considered the Philippines more of a security risk than Indonesia.
Thailand has been more discreet, but hoteliers in Phuket expected that many Australians planning to go to Bail at Christmas would visit Thailand instead. Phuket was the big winner during riots in Lombok in 2001 and the ejection of foreigners from Solo.
"Obviously, in the short term, the bomb attacks are going to have a negative impact on tourist arrivals all over South-East Asia," Sriyan Pietersz, SG Securities head of research for Asia, said.
"But beyond that potentially, we could see Thailand benefiting because it has the least potential for major violence, unlike, say, in the southern Philippines or Indonesia. Travellers obviously are going to be a little bit wary of Malaysia as well," he said.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says that the blast should not be looked at from the perspective of whether it is good or bad for Thai tourism. "It is a horrendous, despicable act that is bad for the tourism industry worldwide. It will exacerbate the downturn the global industry is facing," an official said.
Source = The Australian Financial Review
Can I suggest that you be very careful about upsetting Bar-Girls if someone is standing nearby with an automatic weapon?
Tony
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 8:41 pm on Oct. 16, 2002
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BigDUSA
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If I had a trip planned to Bali in the near future, I would go. The chances of being involved in a bombing is slim.
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 8:56 pm on Oct. 16, 2002
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oex100
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Quote: from BigDUSA on 8:56 am on Oct. 17, 2002
If I had a trip planned to Bali in the near future, I would go. The chances of being involved in a bombing is slim.
agree. it would be over doing it if people where to cancel their upcoming bali trip due to worries about another attack. then, they might as well cancel all trips that involve mass transit (plane, trains, cruise ships). i'm worry more about the transit part than the actual destination.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 9:33 pm on Oct. 16, 2002
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