Thailand risks losing 200,000 visitors this year after blasts: tourism office

Bangkok

THAILAND could lose up to 200,000 foreign visitors and US$293 million in tourism revenue this year, the head of its tourism authority said on Monday, after a series of deadly blasts in tourist towns last week. On Monday, fresh explosions rocked the country's deep south, seriously wounding one soldier.

The wave of attacks, in places including the seaside town of Hua Hin and the island of Phuket, is the biggest challenge to an industry that has weathered more than a decade of instability and bounced back from violence over recent years.