Outbound tourism operators say there have been no cancellations among tour groups scheduled to travel to France, despite riots taking place in major cities, as these tourists have already paid for their holidays.
Chotechuang Soorangura, vice-president of the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA), said most travellers who have already paid for their tour packages, including flights, hotels and visas, are still keen to travel, but will pay closer attention to the ongoing situation in France.
Visiting France for a week typically costs more than 60,000 baht, compared to an average of 40,000 baht in 2019.
However, people who are planning trips to France but have not yet paid might postpone their plans until September or October instead.
Widespread violence erupted in France after the police shot and killed a French teenager of Algerian descent. Riots broke out in Paris, before spreading across major cities such as Toulouse, Marseille and Lyon.
The Royal Thai Embassy in France urged Thai residents and tourists to be more cautious while travelling and avoid leaving accommodation at night as the French authorities have limited services on the public transport system.
Mr Chotechuang said travel agents have already adjusted travel itineraries to avoid unnecessary risks.
Land transport operators in France confirmed that major tourism landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, have not been affected by the ongoing protests.
Meanwhile, restaurants, hotels, tour guides and buses are operating as normal, Mr Chotechuang said.
In cities such as Toulouse and Lyon, where the situation has been more intense, tours remain currently unaffected. Mr Chotechuang noted, however, that these are not popular destinations among Thai tourists.
He said that if there was no severe disruption to transportation such as an airport shutdown, it would not significantly impact outbound travel to France, despite looting in certain areas.
Tour operators would not be affected much because the number of European packages sold between July and August typically plunges below the level recorded in the second quarter. It would surge again in the final quarter during high season.
Mr Chotechuang said outbound tourists visiting Europe this year might recover to 60% of the 2019 level, while tour package prices remain 30% higher than the pre-pandemic rate, due to high airfares and the high rates of inflation worldwide.
TTAA recently quit its membership of the Tourism Council of Thailand and joined the Federation of Thai Tourism Associations with six other tourism associations in order to drive policies in a more efficient manner.
These include the proposal for a visa-waiver for Thai tourists visiting Europe and the US.
Mr Chotechuang said it had been estimated that outbound tourism this year would recover to 50% of that recorded in 2019, due to limited flight capacity, with pent-up demand running dry.
Thai travellers remain hesitant about having more than two overseas trips a year, in contrast to their attitude prior to the pandemic.
