The "Land of Smiles" is in trouble but some Thais are doing their best to keep smiles on the faces of stranded visitors.

With all flights in and out of  Suvarnabhumi Airport cancelled, thousands of tourists are stuck in the country. "Please let me go home for Thanksgiving," pleaded one American tourist in an interview with Thai PBS. In the face of rising visitor anger, the hosts are doing all they can.

The tour guide

Siam Express tour guide Ornanong Songtham was supposed to bid farewell to her group of 10 German seniors on Tuesday night. "We arrived at 8pm to find the THAI checkin counter closed."

She took them back to the Century Hotel, which had kept their rooms free. "Most hotels have offered discounts to guests who can't leave the country," she says.

Hotels in provinces are also upping their hospitality, among them Rose Garden Hotel in Nakhon Pathom, which is offering guests two free nights.

Further south, the Ranong Tourism Association is working on plans to offer free accommodation for stranded tourists.

"Maybe we can ease the pain," says Nit Auitekkeng, the association's president.

The help comes despite the province suffering from the worldwide credit crunch and Thailand's political unrest. "Seventy per cent of bookings have been cancelled," says Nit.

In Bangkok, Ornanong has stayed with her group.

"Many were too scared to go out at first but today we went to Baiyoke Hotel for lunch," she says.

The German seniors' fears have subsided, and one even joked: "If your prime minister can let someone seize the airport so easily, he should resign."

The protesters' soft side

The antigovernment protesters have also helped out tourists at the airport, with People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) supporters sharing their Halal lunchboxes with Hajjbound passengers. Some are also helping tourists with their luggage trolleys as well as keeping women's lavatories stocked with sanitary napkins and toilet paper.

PAD members have organised a small group of Englishspeakers to provide information for tourists.