Thailand Tourism Bureaucracy strikes again and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is a major part of the problem.

The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) is extremely pissed at the Thai Government for screwing up tourism in Thailand.  Leading the charge for the Thai Government is the Tourism Authority of Thailand doing more damage than good.

Thai Dancers

This is from The Nation, Groups slam poor policy cohesion, and comes down hard on four Thai Government Tourism Agencies, including the
Tourism Authority of Thailand.

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The private sector blames the fragmented policies of four ministries for making a shambles out of national tourism promotion – with Wang Nam Kheow as a prime case study – and urged the next government to get its act together quickly to prevent further chaos.

They are referring to the fiasco at Wang Nam Kheow where Thai Government Forestry land has been encroached by some of the elite Bangkokians and houses and resorts put up on State land.

“It’s because of the government’s policies. These are the key factors that have brought about the current problem of arguments over land ownership between authorities and investors in many provinces including in Wang Nam Kheow,” Kongkrit Hiranyakit, president for policy at the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), said last week.

The right hand doesn’t know or care what the left hand is doing and the right foot and left foot are as confused.

The four agencies are the Tourism Ministry along with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Agriculture Ministry, Interior Ministry, and Natural Resources and Environment Ministry.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand, once again, has screwed up an area it is supposed to be promoting due to lack of coordination within the Thai Government and with the private sector.

“These state agencies, even if they’re doing the same thing, have worked erratically on their own and integrated feebly with each other,” he said.

Thais are not known to play well with each other and this is more proof that the Tourism Authority of Thailand does not have a clue on how to market Thailand to foreigners and locals alike.

More than 100 resorts and residential properties have just opened for business and many more are under construction, while authorities appear to be taking back land from investors and residents

There is finger-pointing from the resort and house owners and also from the Forestry Department since no one in Thailand can accept blame or responsibility for anything.

In TAT’s case, it promoted Wang Nam Kheow as a new tourist attraction by highlighting it as the best ozone area in the country, Kongkrit said. This led to the mushrooming of real estate projects such as resorts, homestays, restaurants, organic farms, golf courses and shops.

There you go.  If you want to totally screw up an area of Thailand, let the Tourism Authority of Thailand promote it.  Just look at Phuket, Chiang Khan, Koh Samui and others.  No coordination at all despite the Tourism Authority of Thailand using buzzwords like Agro-tourism, eco-tourism, and tourism sustainability.  All talk, and no action.

Here is what the other agencies were doing at the same time that the Tourism Authority of Thailand was promoting the ozone:

The Agriculture Ministry joined hands with The Mall Group to organise Flora Fantasia last year to promote the area as a new destination for particularly the cold season.

The Interior Ministry helped local people to improve their lives by encouraging them to stay in their hometowns and turn into entrepreneurs and run some small businesses such as homestays.

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry also developed its national parks to support tourism and draw more visitors.

Four tracks with basically the same goal, but no coordination, leading to disaster.  Way to go Tourism Authority of Thailand and the rest of the Thai Government.  Take something good, totally fuck it up.

Once tourism development was pushed up into the national agenda, the Tourism Ministry focused on increasing the number of visitors and investments in the area. But the Interior Ministry has never guided villagers on where they could make use of the area for their own business especially hotels and resorts.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand promoted the heck out of this area to local Thais, and the rich and famous found it a great place for a second house or to spend the weekend.  This snowballed and properties were developed on land owned by the Thai Forestry Department.  Now, they are facing eviction and threats that bulldozers will move in to tear down the properties.

The disputes between the private sector and authorities would not just arise in the Wang Nam Kheow area, but also in other places such as Suan Phueng in Ratchaburi, Khao Khor in Phetchabun, Pai in Mae Hong Son and areas on the banks of Kwai Yai and Kwai Noi in Kanchanaburi, he added.

This is not an isolated case.  It happens all over Thailand.  Give an area for the Tourism Authority of Thailand to promote, and watch it deteriorate over the next couple of years.  No one cares about tomorrow, just about the immediate now.

Samer Jindaphong, vice president of the Federation of Thailand Tourism Regional Chapter, said that since the government entered the area with the purpose of enforcing conservation laws, the tourism business quickly received a negative impact and suffered damage of more than Bt1 billion.

This goes both ways.  The Thai Government needs to educate the locals on the law, and also enforce it, while the locals need to follow the law.  However, this rarely happens in Thailand.  Too much graft and corruption to obey the law.

Kongkrit said the private sector in Wang Nam Kheow called for the next ministers involved in tourism development to solve the problem as soon as possible before it spreads to other areas.

Yingluck Shinawatra and her new government will have far greater obstacles to tackle immediately than worry about one resort area.

“Until now, I haven’t seen anyone from the government speak out about responsibility for the Wang Nam Kheow case. However, the four new ministers must revise their policies and outline their jobs in a similar direction. This is what will help solve conflicts,” he said.

Don’t hold your breath.  There will fingers pointed in many directions and this will drag on in court for years with no winners and Thailand the only loser.

“If the government cannot solve this kind of the problem and limits any new investment near natural water sources, this will in turn translate into a greater loss when disasters strike,” Kongkrit said.

The government inevitably spent huge sums due to nature last year as a result of floods in Korat and other areas in the Central region and South, not just due to the expansion of tourism properties into forestland.

The country last year also experienced the greatest damage from flooding in 10 years. About 39 provinces in all regions were affected and 180 people were killed. Tourism and related businesses are expected to have lost Bt200 billion-Bt300 billion in income.

Not according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.  Nothing ever impacts tourism in Thailand and the foreign tourist arrival numbers are ALWAYS up, up, up.  TAT also always claims that local tourism is booming.  Guess they haven’t read about the global economy, Middle East riots, tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, etc. that go on all over the world.

So, chalk up another one for the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Tags: arrivals encroachment floods forestry new government policies shinawatre TAT thai government tourism authority of thailand Wang Nam Kheow yingluck