The earthquake in Turkey and Syria has not affected outbound tours as the incident took place in an area that does not include major tourism destinations, and the market was already sluggish due to political unrest.
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Turkey last week, along with some parts of Syria, leading to 33,000 fatalities, while the UN predicted that the death toll could reach 50,000.
Chotechuang Soorangura, vice-president of the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA), said outbound tours to Turkey had been stagnant since the final quarter of last year due to an explosion that took place in November and political unrest in Istanbul.
The market this month is expected to plummet further, as Turkey's most devastating earthquake would create a short-term impact on those planning trips to the country over the next few months.
Mr Chotechuang said that even though Turkey has the advantage of visa-free travel for Thais, expensive airfares had contributed to sluggish demand, although sales of outbound packages had recovered to a third of pre-pandemic levels.
He said the tour packages, which include flights and accommodation for 5-7 days, were still 20-30% more expensive than the prices available before the pandemic.
"Most people still travelling today are those with high spending power," said Mr Chotechuang.
Turkey was previously among the most popular options for flight transits to Europe via Turkish Airlines, which tour agents normally chose due to its competitive prices and a convenient flight time, compared to connecting flights in the Middle East.
The country was also included among the top ten as a long-haul destination thanks to its distinct culture and unique attractions such as cavern cities, mountainous landscapes, and architecture.
According to Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, about 6,687 Thais visited the country in 2021, down from 62,192 in 2019.
Meanwhile, the TTAA is preparing to organise the 28th Thai International Travel Fair this week, which will be its first such event since the outbreak of Covid-19, at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.
Mr Chotechuang said most of the packages would be short-haul trips, such as to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan or Hong Kong, with those national tourism organisations promoting their countries to Thai consumers at this event.
Meanwhile, long-haul trips to Europe are still facing challenges such as long visa application processes and a shortage of manpower.
