| At least until recently, tourism has been the third | | | | the one that caused the one in 2004 are |
| most important sector of Thailand's economy, | | | | increasingly frequent) could have a devastating |
| after agriculture and exports. Among 'industries,' | | | | effect on the industry. |
| tourism is listed in first place. The country is | | | | Additionally, the relocating of the country's main |
| without doubt one of the world's favorite tourist | | | | airport, an expansive new facility called |
| destinations, in part because of its magnificent | | | | Suvarnaphumi planned by former Prime Minister |
| natural beauty (of many varieties, not just the | | | | Thaksin Shinawatra to make Bangkok the 'hub of |
| famous islands), in part because of the natural | | | | Southeast Asian travel' has been a only slightly |
| friendliness of its people, in further part because | | | | mitigated disaster for the country and the source |
| of the relative ease and safety of traveling in | | | | of considerable national shame. Hurried |
| Thailand, which is easily done on both high and low | | | | construction, corrupt construction practices, and |
| traveler personal economies. | | | | overall bad planning have yielded a facility many |
| This situation is now in considerable flux, and | | | | find far inferior to the 95-year-old 'old' airport in |
| concerns about the viability of Thailand's major | | | | Don Muang, for which longtime Thailand visitors |
| tourist industry are growing. Currency fluctuations | | | | had developed an affection, and which worked |
| and new economic policies have put a significant | | | | with seasoned efficiency. The new airport is daily |
| dent in exports as a source of GDP, and | | | | news nationally, with alternating reports about its |
| increasingly severe and unpredictable weather - | | | | safety (primarily of the runways) and |
| primarily floods and droughts - throughout the | | | | inconvenience. It is much farther out of the city, |
| country are an increasing concern to its | | | | making it much more difficult for tourists to get |
| agriculturalists. | | | | to their Bangkok destinations and to others on |
| Those changes make the viability of Thailand's | | | | their travel itineraries. |
| tourist industry all the more important. While the | | | | There are great fears among observers of |
| country has so far survived threats to the | | | | Thailand's tourist scene that it will take just one |
| industry such as SARS, bird flu, and the 2004 | | | | more major problem such as the ones described |
| tsunami relatively intact, tourism officials and | | | | above to drive tourists to seek other travel |
| operators are only too aware that a more | | | | destinations in Asia and elsewhere. The effects on |
| large-scale bird flu epidemic or another tsunami (in | | | | Thailand's economy would be devastating if |
| a region where earthquakes in Indonesia such as | | | | tourism were to drop even a small amount. |