Bangkok bomb blast threatens Thai tourism

The bomb blast that took place on Monday close to the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok will hurt the country’s important tourism industry, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

The roads remained closed around the shrine where a bomb exploded in central Bangkok on Monday evening, which killed at least 20 people.

Normally the intersection next to the Erawan Shrine is one of the busiest junctions in Bangkok. Several five-star hotels are in the area along, with glitzy shopping malls and boutiques selling designer clothes from Alexander McQueen. At the shrine itself, a depiction of the Hindu deity Brahma, ethnic Chinese visitors and local Thai Buddhists often line up to light sticks of incense. Some pay for Thai dancers dressed in traditional costumes to perform in front of the shrine if their prayers are answered.

But early Tuesday, the area was cordoned off as police continued to search for clues about who was responsible for planting the bomb, which has revived fears of a resurgence of the political violence that has flared periodically in Thailand in recent years, culminating in a military coup last year.

The hospitality business is one of the few sectors showing growth this year, as sluggish exports and private consumption weigh down the rest of the economy.

Hong Kong and Singapore issued travel advisories recommending that travelers cancel nonessential trips to Bangkok.