Speaking at a press conference of the 12th ATTA/THA Annual General Meeting last week, THA president Surapong Techaruvichit said occupancy in 2012 improved 6.49 per cent to 64.91 per cent, compared to 58.42 per cent in 2011 across the country.
“Hotels in the southwest (Samui to the Andaman coast) gained the highest occupancy rate at 76.07 per cent, while hotel bookings along the eastern seaboard declined 3.51 per cent due to an imbalance of room capacity that exceeded tourism demand.”
The THA president added that in terms of occupancy, Bangkok hotels improved by 9 per cent to 70 per cent from 64 per cent in 2011, while average daily rate improved 3 per cent to US$93 from US$90.
Occupancy in hotels in Phuket grew 3 per cent to 72 per cent up from 70 per cent, while the ADR improved 5 per cent to US$120 from US$114 in the region.
But to raise room revenue to a profitable level, the THA president said it was essential that government initiate a crackdown on illegal hotels.
“A licensing crackdown and the introduction of tighter hotel regulations are under consideration by Ministry of Interior and should go to the Cabinet soon for approval,” the association president said.
The THA has been campaigning for a change in regulations to allow more hotels to be legally recognised and for the government to crack down on property owners who continue to ignore legal requirements.
It argues that illegal hotel operations avoid taxes and other fees and this gives them an unfair advantage over hotels that comply with the law.