With the launch of the new “Miracle Thailand” Campaign, Chumpol Silpaarcha, the Minister of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) has developed a so-called plan to attract more tourists.

He will be needing more than one miracle to pull this off.

Miracle Minister - Chumpol Silaaparcha

In another great article from TTR Weekly, Chumpol shares miracle strategy, Wanwisa Ngamsangchaikit brings us up to date with the proposed schemes that will miraculously bring tourists to Thailand.  I just wish Khun Wanwisa would question some or most of what the Minister of Miracles claims as facts.

To start things off, Khun Chumpol says the first item on the miracle agenda is His Majesty, the King of Thailand‘s Birthday celebration.  Later on in 2012, there will also be a big to-do for Her Majesty, the Queen of Thailand when she celebrates her birthday.

According to an article in the Bangkok Post, 600 million baht will be spent on these two celebrations.  I understand celebrating Royal birthdays, but using $20 million US Dollars is a lot of money and I doubt will generate 1 satang of foreign tourist money.  No one in Europe, America, or anywhere else outside of Thailand is scheduling a holiday to coincide with the Royal Birthdays.  But, it is kind of hard for the budget committee to say NO to a request for funds when it involves the King and Queen.

The Miracle Thailand Year will cost the government Bt3,058.05 million. Mr Chumpol is confident that off the back of its success tourist arrivals should surge to 30 million visits and generate Bt1.4 trillion by 2015.

The Thai language does not have a word for BILLION – so they use thousand million – over 3 Billion Baht – more than 100 million US dollars for this year’s budget.  They have to be getting more than the Thai Military.

Miracle Minister is still sticking to his guns saying that Thailand will have 19.5 million tourist arrivals this year and will increase to 22 million in 2012, almost 25 million in 2013, 28 million in 2014, and over 30 million in 2015.  I have no idea where he gets his data to make these ridiculous predictions.  Whomever is providing the numbers must be living in a cave and has no access to the outside world or he would realize that 25 million Americans are out of work, Europe’s financial markets are collapsing, there are riots in the Middle East, and the current political calm can only last so long here in Thailand.

Toss in some of the recent articles out of Phuket and their taxi mafia beating up tourists and local van drivers who “steal” tourists from their turf: German man still in ICU after dispute with Phuket tuk-tuk driver and Phuket taxi mob beats driver in broad daylight.

And, remember last year in August when the Brit boxer killed the US Marine?  It looks like he will extradited back to Thailand and stand trial here – Aldhouse extradition to Phuket looks inevitable: British press

I guess that the Miracle Minister thinks that no one reads the news or pays attention to their Embassy warnings.  Phuket, supposedly touted by the Tourism Authority if Thailand as an upscale resort area, is now looking more and more like the wild, wild west with the mafia in charge and corruption at the highest levels.  More here – Phuket Corruption: Senate probes alleged police protection racket.

If you read the articles, check out the comments and see how many people are saying that they will never return to Phuket or Thailand and how many are planning to move out of the area.

But, these things don’t faze the Miracle Minister.  He is positive that tourism will hit 30 million arrivals in 4 years time.  Dream on.

Here are some more of the proposed policies by the Wizard of Tourism:

• Increase length of stay particularly quality groups such as medical tourists by upgrading services and standards;

This will have to be a major upgrade as service has been deteriorating over the years and there are no standards in Thailand.

•Establish honorary consulate to provide easier tourist visa processing for international travellers in areas not covered by an embassy;

This makes no sense unless they plan to staff it with folks that can speak about 25 languages.  What is wrong with going to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  When I need to extend my visa, I don’t go to the American Embassy.  I go to Thai Immigration.  Makes no sense.

•Re-introduce the visa-free entry specifically for Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean visitors;

Good for those who plan to stay more than 30 days and folks from the above three areas are not in that category.

•Exempt landing, parking and VAT for actors and moviemakers filming in Thailand;

This is good, but it is small potatoes as not that many foreign films are made here.

•Resume the tourist insurance scheme for foreign visitors for both ordinary and uncertainty situations;

Guess this is riot insurance which you will be hard pressed to collect.

•Work closely with other organisations, private sectors and local communities;

Not gonna happen – the Thai Government does not play well with other Government organizations and definitely does not get along with the private sector.

•Support private sector tourism investment with the ministry acting as the middleman assisting with financial sourcing;

Sounds like a very easy way for the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to get their fingers on some easy cash.  MOTS is now going to be in the banking business.

•Establish ASEAN Economic Community unit to collect data and improve free trade knowledge for tourism personnel, local communities and private sector;

Four years late on this one.  AEC 2015 will cripple tourism in Thailand but they don’t see the writing on the wall.

•Develop tourist attractions across the country and construct more ramps and elevators for handicap and senior tourists in tourist destinations;

The only attractions that Khun Chumpol is planning on building are 1,820 stadiums that will eventually wind up as places to take your water buffalo for a snack.  Thailand is not senior or handicap friendly.  I wonder if the Miracle Man is going to put in new sidewalks country-wide and make them level, fill in potholes and ensure that manhole covers are not removed.

•Ensure the Chiang Mai Convention Centre opens next year with a viable supervisory and management plan.

Considering that “plan” doesn’t seem to exist in the Thai language, this one should also fail.

So. we will see if any of the miracles happen.  But, we all know that whether or not they succeed or not is not the point.  The point is that they are reported as being one successful miracle after another.

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Tags: amazing thailand Ministry of Tourism and Sports miracle thailand mots tourism authority of thailand