Imagine having to go to bed in Bangkok, one of the most electric, most fascinating cities in the world after dark, at midnight?
Well that's what's happening right now in Thailand, as a nationwide curfew has been enacted between midnight and 4 a.m. following a military coup on May 22 that ousted the government of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Yingluck and her brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, have been briefly detained.
According to reports, the military sent 5,700 troops and police into central Bangkok on Sunday to stop anti-coup protests, which were mostly limited to small gatherings held around shopping malls.
Still, all this has dramatically influenced travel to Thailand. Reuters is reporting that tourism - which accounts for 10 percent of Thailand's economy thanks to Bangkok, Phuket and its beautiful beaches - is taking a hit. Airline bookings to Thailand were at 28,000 a day as of May 19.
On May 23, the day after the official coup, bookings were down 5,000 according to the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
Even prior to the coup, Reuters noted the Tourism Authority of Thailand had cut its forecast for foreign arrivals this year to a five-year low of 26.3 million as political unrest deterred visitors.
In a televised address on Friday, the ruling military junta offered no optimism, either, saying it would "take time" to reconcile Thailand's antagonistic political forces and that general election would not be held for at least 15 months.
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