Thailand lifts state of emergency in Bangkok, tourism industry hopeful

A 60-day state of emergency imposed on Bangkok and several surrounding areas has e to an end, giving the tourism industry hope that lagging arrival numbers in the Kingdom will improve.The state of emergency came into effect on January 22 in the run-up to the February 2 general election held amid widespread anti-government protests throughout the city and gave authorities the power to impose curfews, detain suspects without court permission, censor media and declare parts of the capital off limits.It has been replaced with the Internal Security Act ISA, which will be in effect until April 30.This still gives authorities power to impose curfews, set up checkpoints and restrict the movement of demonstrators but is considered less severe. The Bangkok Post reports the ISA is needed to maintain law and order during the Senate election on March 30 and reruns of the general election, expected in April.The caretaker government, led by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, said the decision to lift the state of emergency a few days early was designed to reverse the negative impact Thailand's political crisis has had on the country's tourism industry and overall economy."The use of the Internal Security Act will help project a positive image of Thailand, particularly in terms of business, investment, and tourism," said the government in a media briefing on the situation.Tourism industry expected to recover quickly More than 20 people have been killed and hundreds wounded since protests erupted in Bangkok in November, hitting the tourism industry hard as the news made global headlines. The November to February period is Thailand's tourist high season record numbers of visitor arrivals were anticipated. Since the protests started, tourist arrival expectations for 2014 have been revised downward 3% from 28.1 million a prediction made in July 2013 to 27.5 million, according to a report by the state-run National News Bureau of Thailand. Ending the emergency decree will help the tourism industry recover within a few months, it added.In February, demonstrations were scaled back and various protest sites throughout the city closed. Anti-government protesters, still intent on ousting Yingluck, now congregate at central Bangkok's Lumpini Park.