Businesses suffer as Thais protest

At least 100,000 foreign visitors have been unable to leave Thailand since anti-government activists occupied Bangkok's main airports last week.

The BBC News website spoke to several businesses across Thailand to find out how recent events had affected trade.

CHATRI KASIKUN, RESORT OWNER, KOH LANTA

Chatri Kasikun says business has suffered because of the protests

This should be the high season. Normally, this month is one where we are fully booked and full of customers. Now it's more like low-season numbers. Many people have cancelled.

We are losing money. We have already sustained 50-60% losses.

The resort looks very empty; my staff don't have much work at the moment. It is very upsetting for me. We have suffered because of the global economic downturn but now, with all the problems the government has, it is looking bad.

The new year may be no better. The bad situation could be here to stay.

The tourists here are very worried. Most want to go back to their home country, they don't want to be in Thailand now. This is a resort where people can really relax; they can dive, trek, swim, do anything. Now everyone is just worried.

LISA BIER, OWNER OF DIVING COMPANY, KOH LANTA

Lisa Bier says business is thin

There are virtually no tourists coming through right now. We still have people coming from Phuket but nobody from Bangkok.

Normally, everything is fully booked right through to February. Now, people are cancelling. We are in the south of Thailand, and most people fly to Bangkok but people can still get flights into Phuket [which is nearer].

The only people left are those who have one week left of their holiday and hope that it will all be over by then. But business is getting thinner and thinner each day. New arrivals are not really arriving.

The beach is empty and it is the high season. Half our resort is empty even though it is normally booked out one year in advance.

I am quite worried. I have staff to think about and if people do cancel they might not have work. We started here a year after the tsunami. Some people are calling it a second tsunami.

It is not as bad as then; there is no military, it is safe and people can still come here through Kuala Lumpur and Phuket. They just need to know that.

CHITLADDA SORNIN, HOTEL OWNER, KHAO LAK

Chitladda says that her business has not been badly hit

At the moment, we are not too badly affected. Most of the guests here are private guests and have found other ways of getting to us. They have not booked through the big companies.

We are not close to Bangkok and people aren't worried for their safety. We also try to find ways to help people who need to get here.

Some told me that even if they can't fly now they can wait for one or two weeks. Some people are coming to us straight from Phuket airport.

This crisis is affecting people in Bangkok but there are other ways of visiting Thailand. Most of the guests here are very worried though. They don't want to go to Bangkok.

ASA KOMALSINGSAKUL, CAR RENTAL BUSINESS, BANGKOK

Asa Komalsingsakul has had no customers in the past week

A lot of bookings have been cancelled because customers coming from abroad have not been able to get to Bangkok.

Income is down and we haven't had a single customer since the airport closed. Until it opens again, I can't see how we will get much business. Mainly tourists use our car rental to drive north and south. Some tourists have extended the period of car rental.

This is quite a new business. It has only been going for two years. In November we got only 40 customers. In the last week we have had none.

If business doesn't come we have to try and search for local people. We're looking for a secondary market now.

MARK SHEE, OWNS A TRAVEL COMPANY, BANGKOK

Mark Shee says income has been negative this month

We have been hit hugely. Income this month is negative and this is one of three months which makes up 40% of my yearly revenue.

We have spent huge amounts paying staff to work all hours of the night to literally hold the hands of clients or guide them to a place they feel safe, so they have a roof over their heads. Then there is the issue of sorting out visas, locating alternative flights or locating airports.

We are paying staff for extra time - but we are getting no income. There are also other cancellations. The situation is just so large and the customers are understandably very annoyed.

We are hoping for a resolution this week. It has already been forecast by TAT (Tourist Authority of Thailand) that the number of tourists coming will drop by half but it is not just foreign tourists that are cancelling. Thai customers are also either holding back or cancelling.

We have had several company groups of about 100 people cancel on us. We are not alone - I know of others in the trade suffering similarly or worse. The whole industry has been turned on it's head. I am very concerned.

Our company started two years ago. It is young and this is a very important growth year for us.