The Tourism Authority of Thailand will be asking foreign tourists to wear appropriate clothing during the royal cremation ceremony of King Bhumibol Adulyadej which will be held between from the 25th to the 29th of October.
Officials will be asking tourists to wear “polite clothing” if they plan on visiting the country while the cremation ceremony takes place so that visitors to the country will be able to share their condolences with people across Thailand.
The late King came to the throne aged just 18 in 1946; he ruled for seven decades until 2016. King Bhumibol Adulyadej was seen as a stable figure in a country that had more than a dozen coups since he assumed the throne. The monarchy remained well respected throughout the countries turbulent times. When he passed, the country entered into a year-long period of mourning.
His heir, who is now King Maha Vajiralongkorn, is not thought to command the same affection as his father did. However, his true popularity is hard truly understand as criticism of the Thai Royal Family is punishable by jail time.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is putting in a lot of work to ensure that tourists are well aware of the schedule and have the information to attend. Thirty-six branches within the country and twenty-five overseas will be instructing tourists of the schedule and requirements for the ceremony.
The Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said that she believes many tourists understand the Thai culture and the mourning period will not have any effect on their plans to visit Thailand.
However, there has been delays in the announcement of detailed tourism policies for the cremation period. This has led to fears among businesses that rely on tourism as tourist numbers could be damaged as potential visitors are not willing to make plans without knowing the full detail of the situation.
The Tourism Authority governor said that “The TAT will assess the situation with its branch offices again,” in order to come up with the right plans for the country.
