Thailand loses foreign visitors amid protests

The number of foreign visitors to Thailand has dropped by 300,000 so far due to the prolonged anti- government protests, a tourism official said Wednesday.

Such a loss has cost the country 16 billion baht (497.7 million U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue, said Suwat Sitthilor, permanent secretary of the Tourism and Sports Ministry.

If the rally continues till the end of the year, the industry will suffer even greater loss, Suwat said.

Currently, 23 countries and regions have issued travel advisories, urging citizens visiting Thailand to avoid protest sites, according to Sugree Sithivanich, deputy governor for marketing communications of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Thailand's tourism next year will be severely affected if these advisories are further upgraded, Sugree said.

Last week, the Tourism Council of Thailand said that the country was expected to receive 28 million foreign tourists in 2014, an increase of 8 percent from the expected 26.6 million this year.

Despite traffic jams at certain locations, most tourist destinations and shopping complexes in Bangkok still maintain regular operations, he added