There is an op-ed piece in the Bangkok Post today, written by Krissana Parnsoonthorn, the Deputy business Editor, entitled – A winning way to bring in tourists that makes some good points about tourism but leaves out a lot.

Khun Krissana points out some of the problems that the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports are facing and offers up a few solutions.

Casinos For Tourism

The catch-phrase “Thailand, the Land of Smiles” never fails to weave its magic on tourists around the world.

Except, today, the catch-phrase is “Thailand, Land of Scams“.  This is just one of the areas that Khun Krissana leaves out of her opinion piece that should top the list of Prime Yingluck Shinawatra’s list of things to do to help out tourism in Thailand.

I totally agree with the description: Thailand is a very beautiful country, rich in culture and historical heritage as well as nature and good food. We have the sea, sand and sun that many Western people want to experience and Thai people are so generous and friendly to tourists.

With these strengths, the Thai tourism industry should have prospered and developed to the point that Thailand played a leading role in the Southeast Asian region. But in reality it seems more like Thai tourism has got stuck, with no new exciting products or developments for so long.

Blame it mainly on the Tourism Authority of Thailand failing to properly promote these aspects about Thailand.  Stuck in a rut using the same old lame “Amazing Thailand” motto that it has used for about the past 14 years.  The Tourism Authority of Thailand continues to make feeble attempts at marketing to foreigners with the same videos showing temples, markets and elephants.

How has this come about? It could be because of the domestic political uncertainties and the intense competition from other countries. Moreover, the global economic downturn, especially in Europe and the United States, has made a lot of potential tourists give up or delay their travel plans.

Intense competition in the region is something that the Tourism Authority of Thailand NEVER mentions and should be one of their major concerns.  Lots of tourists and expats now choose Laos, Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam over Thailand.  Add to that the global economic crisis, natural disasters, political issues in Thailand, and riots in the Middle East, and you can easily see that tourism is down, down, down and will continue unless Thailand does something about it.

Like many countries depending on tourism revenues, Thailand can’t escape this unwelcome situation, but the degree of impact relies solely on the capability of the government in managing it.

And Thailand has a very incapable Tourism Authority of Thailand that does not know how to market to foreigners being led by a 71-year old at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports – so things will not change at all.

It’s true that the Thai tourism sector has been hit hard by negative factors these past few years. However, it’s not too late to do something to turn the situation around.

Yes, it is too late.  Thailand should have been making changes to its marketing strategies 5-10 years ago and focus on niche markets like medical tourism, weddings, golf, retirement and also working to ensure its proper place in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) – but the Thai Government has pretty much ignored the AEC and in the past year has done its best to anger the folks at ASEAN.

It’s time for the Yingluck Shinawatra government to outline a long-term strategic plan and direction for tourism. An ambitious goal must be set and the government must carry out all action plans consistently to make them happen.

No.  It is time for the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to work with the private tourism sector and actually listen to what they have to say and then the MOTS and the Tourism Authority of Thailand develop the plan and bring it to the Prime Minister.

We have to fill up many missing pieces in the jigsaw of Thailand’s tourism industry.

The authorities, particularly those at the Tourism and Sports Ministry, should listen to what the private sector really needs. Listen to both positive and negative opinions, and impose proper measures to raise the competitiveness of Thai tourism.

This has been an ongoing problem.  The Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports meet about once per year with the private sector and then does nothing at all.

The several tourism executives I spoke with all wanted to give their opinions to Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silpa-archa, who is the new hope to help shape the future of Thai tourism.

Old man Chumpo (71) hasn’t done this in the past and I doubt that he will do it in the future.  He is too concerned trying to get numerous sports stadiums built and doesn’t seem to care about tourism.  He only wants to do things within the local communities that got him elected.

Firstly, Thailand should improve its transport network to provide convenience to both local people and tourists. Currently, many infrastructure projects are not tourist friendly. Take the Airport Rail Link project for example. It is not convenient for tourists with luggage to use this rail link to go to Suvarnabhumi Airport from Makkasan Station, since they would have to carry their heavy bags and walk a long way to reach the check-in counters. There are no escalators at this station, which is so isolated, with no link to the nearby BTS skytrain.

Not sure if this should be done “Firstly” – but it does need to be done.  I would rid the country of the scam artists that plague the Grand Palace, Pattaya and Phuket first.

Secondly, we should take the protection of tourism destinations and their natural environment very seriously. Don’t forget that most foreign tourists visit Thailand because they want to be impressed by our natural beauty. If these sights are ruined or spoiled, the tourists will go to other countries like Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, where the natural environment is fresh and well cared for.

As long as the Thai people consider any area outside their front door to be a gigantic trash receptacle,this will not happen.  Education is the key and trying to convince the Thai people that they need to think about the future and not just worry about today.

Thirdly, Thailand should craft new tourism products to promote the country. We have to ask ourselves what should be the new selling point – after beautiful nature, culture, food and Thai hospitality. Should we have a casino like Singapore and Malaysia?

Building a casino in Thailand has been proposed before and has never gotten approved.  I feel that there would be too much easy money for the politicians if there were to be a casino built in Thailand.  Where would it be built?  Pattaya?  Phuket?  Bangkok?  Would it only be for tourists from foreign countries or would it be open to all?  Kind of difficult to imagine a casino in Thailand when the Pattaya Police police arrest people for playing cards or dominoes for 20 baht.

Let’s hope Mr Chumpol considers these options. It’s time Thailand came up with new ideas for tourism and made them happen.

Yes, I agree that he should listen to new ideas.  But, first Khun Chumpol should get the beaches cleaned, the scam artists arrested, the corrupt Thai police thrown in jail with the scammers, disband the Tourism Authority of Thailand, split the Ministry of Tourism and Sports into two separate agencies, and on and on and on.  Thailand needs to clean up in-country first, educate the Thai people, and listen to those in the private sector that are suffering due to the low tourist arrivals.

The only problem is that the current leadership will continue as they have done in the past regarding tourism – nothing – and the people of Thailand will suffer.

Tags: chumpol Ministry of Tourism and Sports shinawatra tourism tourism authority of thailand yingluck