Thailand's challenge of mass tourism

[buksida]

If anyone with a stake in the country's tourism industry thought that the new cabinet reshuffle might provide them with a minister able to win back traditional markets, tap into new ones, deal with the lasting impact of the eurozone crisis, position the industry for the creation of the Asean Economic Community and prepare a strategy to counter Myanmar's growing appeal as an untapped destination, they were in for a disappointment.

Such political visionaries are rare but do exist. However they are unlikely to be attracted to a "non-core" ministry where tourism, a major earner of foreign exchange, is lumped in with sport.

If it is any consolation, the cabinet did approve several worthwhile projects during its meeting on Koh Samui this week. They included a small hospital on nearby Koh Tao and an underwater power cable for Koh Phangan to boost the power supply which should be in place by the time the island's new airport opens. Other projects are in the pipeline to promote tourism and develop its potential and these must be carefully thought out to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. Often they have taken the form of glossing over the more sinister side of tourism development or condoning it as the end justifying the means.

Industry observers see the biggest problem plaguing the tourism sector in recent years as uncertainty worsened by a lack of political leadership and the absence of clear direction from the top for long-term improvement. To this must be added the questionable emphasis placed on boosting tourist numbers and revenue targets at almost any cost, even when this comes at the expense of environmental sustainability and overloads public services.

Despite these concerns, this looks like being a record-breaking year for tourist arrivals, especially from China and India. Last year the 2 million people employed in the travel and hospitality sector thought the same as years of political uproar subsided. But then came the floods.

The ecological impact of mass tourism and the damage it can cause has been well-documented. It has put increasing pressure on our world-famous beauty spots with arrivals approaching unsustainable levels in the Andaman region. Government agencies which should be protecting our national heritage from the ravages of greedy land developers have an abysmal track record and often seem to be in cahoots with them.

Some powerful vested interest groups even behave as though coastal and other scenic areas are theirs alone to exploit. This is hardly a secret and neither are the deep pockets possessed by some of these developers, which could have a bearing on why probes into shady land deals sometimes fade quietly away.

Our tourism model must give priority to saving the most beautiful parts of our country from the blight of excessive property development, a fate that has already befallen mass tourism destinations elsewhere. Spain suffered acutely from overbuilding and the administration of the Balearic Islands sensibly imposed a freeze on large-scale construction along the delicate coastlines of the tourist magnets of Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca in an attempt to preserve them.

This is the direction we should be taking. They have more than 20 million tourists a year to contend with. This compares to our government's rather optimistic target of 30 million foreign and domestic tourists generating 2 trillion baht annually by 2015.

It is possible to live in harmony with mass tourism but it must be regulated better. There has already been enough deterioration in our beautiful coastlines, scenic retreats, villages and traditional ways of life. We cannot ignore our obligation to leave them unspoiled for future generations.

Source: BKK Post

[margaretcarnes]

At last some recognition of the need for Thailand to preserve some of it's best bits. I hope it isn't just rhetoric - and that it isn't too late - and that's where it is very tempting to say 'TIT'.
But to rewind a few years i seem to remember we had a thread about the proportion of Thailands' GDP from tourism? Without checking I don't think it was hugely significant - certainly not significant enough to wake up the TAT anyway.
Perhaps times are changing, but if they are serious about tourism they need to really get their act together with publicity.
The 'Malaysia Truly Asia' ad campaign which ran about 5 years ago in the UK was slick and had high impact. Maybe the TAT thinks it would be a waste of money trying to run a similar campaign in the West due to the cost of travel now, and prefers to concentrate on other Asian countries. If that is the case I think they are missing a lot of opportunities.
One of the main problems they have is not the floods of 2011, but the overall perception in the West of the LOS as one big Pattaya/Phuket. Somewhere our ex-cons and paedophiles go to live. A place where the capital city is overun with armed troops and AK47's, and where the airport is closed for days by protestors. A place which requires travellers to jump through the maze of visa hoops if they want to stay more than 30 days, and where a plane crash in a rubber plantation is of no consequence to the outside world.
Because these are the things which stick in peoples' minds when it comes to deciding where to go.

[StevePIraq]

One of the main problems they have is not the floods of 2011, but the overall perception in the West of the LOS as one big Pattaya/Phuket. Somewhere our ex-cons and paedophiles go to live. A place where the capital city is overun with armed troops and AK47's, and where the airport is closed for days by protestors. A place which requires travellers to jump through the maze of visa hoops if they want to stay more than 30 days, and where a plane crash in a rubber plantation is of no consequence to the outside world.
Because these are the things which stick in peoples' minds when it comes to deciding where to go.[/quote]

Margaret,
I really can't agree with your comments above, I do not believe western travelers see Thailand as being especially dangerous with troops on the streets, AK47s everywhere and a pedophile heaven. Yes Thailand does have a sex tourism reputation and this is not helped by a government who condones it. A friend of mine who recently visited for the first time told me he and his wife were mainly disappointed with the following:
1. Scam/con artists everywhere always trying to cheat the tourist. He specifically hated Tuk Tuk drivers who quote one price then want more at the end of the trip
2. Rubbish everywhere compared to the pristine images shown in all advertising.
3. Prostitution/bar girls everywhere
4. Continual harassment to buy buy buy especially in Phuket and Samui.

They said that the above will not stop them visiting again as overall they loved the place, but they would never visit Samui again, I can definitely agree with the Samui comment.

Thailand really needs to get it's act together but it will not as to many owners of taxi's, Tuk Tuk's, bars etc have influence in government and police so nothing will be done to curb their ways.

[margaretcarnes]

You're right about the disappointing things Steve - fortunately not bad enough to put your friends off - but for some people the vendor hassle etc would discourage them from a second visit. I had one visitor for example who was appalled to see a rat at close quarters and thought the place was filthy. Others dislike the markets - again often a hygeine issue. These are things people are often vaguely aware of before their trip - but maybe don't realise they will be upset by. And in fact what we see on TV programmes - like the chef thing in HuaHin market for example - portray the colourful and vibrant side of the LOS which we accept without bothering too much about the 'elf and safety.
Similarly I've had visitors who couldn't wait to see Patpong - they'd heard all the stories - but they couldn't hack the reality.
But I do think it's media coverage in the West of the unsavoury aspects which people take notice of. We've probably all been through that reaction you get from friends when you say you are flying to Bangkok in the middle of a Red Shirt protest for example. Absolute horror. 'Oh but Bangkok isn't safe - they're shooting at people in the streets'. Which of course is true, but in the West they are only seeing what the media want them to see, and they think all of Bangkok is the same.
There really are still many un-informed people who judge the book by it's cover I'm afraid. And a lot who don't realise just how diverse Thailand is.

[lomuamart]

Interesting comments from Mags and Steve. I'd tend to agree with Steve's view of things but need some more time to think.
Mags commented about tourist numbers and the percentage of GNP. I think I've read before that it's about 4% but I wouldn't believe any statistics that TAT put out. The fact of the matter is that the Chinese and Indians are the rich people now and that will be reflected in arrival numbers. It's only a shortish flight over here from either country and with low cost airlines a holiday makes sense for a market of millions.
I read The Guardian and Telegraph pretty much every day and I don't get the media hype about negative aspects of this country as I do remember years ago. Mind you, I refuse to read The Daily Fail/Mail.
All-in-all, I reckon that Thailand has done a pretty good job of re-inventing themselves but there are still all those complications that are listed above.

[caller]

Didn't Buksi once post some stats on here that showed whilst the numbers of visitors per head was up from China and the like, the biggest spenders are those from the west? I don't know if that was per head or totalled up?

I think LOS will always have its hardcore of visitors who go time and again based on personal knowledge whatever is happening on the country, but others will respond to news and IMHO the bad news stories have increased, whether in the press or on TV (the Mail lurves Thailand). And thats not always national press, local papers/news sites pick up on the bad news involving their locals (look at the stuff Kendo has posted recently and the Sheffield papers on Oxley).

And the big challenge for Thailand in the next few years is the opening up of Burma and accessibility of Vietnam. At a time when Thai and Eva have consolidated flights from the UK to LOS, direct flights to Vietnam are now available for the 1st time and as much as anything, Thailand could suffer from, 'been there, done it' syndrome.

[StevePIraq]

Thailand like many developing countries is not poor but it has many poor people with a government who is quite happy to keep them that way; poor and illiterate. As such they stay hooked on Thai TV and know little about the world and what Thailand could be like. Not that everywhere is better than here.

Where there is poverty there will always be casual crime, prostitution, garbage, scams, lack of hygiene etc. There is no way to avoid these things, unfortunately Thailand like many other developing countries makes little effort to improve the lives of local people so they are stuck in the never ending cycle.

Vietnam and Malaysia will definitely take some tourism away from Thailand. Europe will have diminished numbers of tourists coming here due to their battered economies, China and India will be the biggest influence in the coming years. Myanmar will be quite some time before it has any impact on regional tourism.

[Dannie Boy]

It's a bit like the saying, you're only as good as your last..............!!! Take for example restaurants, and the recent comments about the S'mor Spa Indian Restaurant, good reviews initially but then a few not very happy with the quality/service. Irrespective of how accurate the criticism is (and I am not doubting the complaints for one moment), it could be difficult for the restaurant to recover its previous good reputation. The same goes for LOS and tourism, the odd tsunami here, the odd flood there, Red shirts (or yellow) rioting on the streets of Bangkok, foreigners murdered in Phuket, etc, etc and it doesn't take long for the tourists to decide to try somewhere else in the same region, such has been mentioned already - Burma, Vietnam etc.

The government and TAT could and should be doing more to attract and keep the tourists coming, because once they go somewhere else, they may never come back.

[bigideas]

Anyone who believes Thailand tourism are at all worried about the demise of western tourists, in my opinion, is deluding themselves. I think there may be an elite of Thai's who still have keen interests in Europe and the US, but most of the new money Thai's who run things now can't wait to see the back of the 'stinking' westerners. Even Abhisit, who was born in the UK, seems keen to forget his British links.
The new Thai money far prefers the new Asian money. These tourists spend lots on the luxury tourism market and don't stick around. They bugger-off back to their own countries.

[margaretcarnes]

Didn't Buksi once post some stats on here that showed whilst the numbers of visitors per head was up from China and the like, the biggest spenders are those from the west? I don't know if that was per head or totalled up?

I think LOS will always have its hardcore of visitors who go time and again based on personal knowledge whatever is happening on the country, but others will respond to news and IMHO the bad news stories have increased, whether in the press or on TV (the Mail lurves Thailand). And thats not always national press, local papers/news sites pick up on the bad news involving their locals (look at the stuff Kendo has posted recently and the Sheffield papers on Oxley).

And the big challenge for Thailand in the next few years is the opening up of Burma and accessibility of Vietnam. At a time when Thai and Eva have consolidated flights from the UK to LOS, direct flights to Vietnam are now available for the 1st time and as much as anything, Thailand could suffer from, 'been there, done it' syndrome.

Yes we definitely had a thread way back about the stats. I remember saying that the LOS didn't seem too bothered about tourism, because they have much more income from exports.
However it must have been about 4 or more years ago, before there were real issues with rice crops, Reds etc.
I do agree with DannieBoy that we don't see Thai tourism advertising - certainly not here in the UK - and definately not to the extent that other Asian countries advertise here. First time Brit visitors probably go to an agent and pick a package deal with a swish looking hotel and all the tours thrown in. I certainly know family and friends who would only do it that way - and even then only because they know i survived there for a few years and avoided cholera, rabies etc.
It isn't seen as a place for independant travel, except for people who started out that way and continue to return - and for gap year backpackers (many of whom really don't travel independantly anyway, because their itinerary is pre- arranged for them.) Unfortunately what the TAT seems to overlook is that those gap year tourists may one day have top jobs and be able to afford to return with their families for upmarket holidays.
And although I hear what you say Lomu about the class dailies in the UK, the fact is that the majority of people read the rags. Sad but true I'm afraid. Apart from the Indie the top dailies are simply too heavy, too boring, and most importantly too expensive for many. Maybe a lot of it is to do with people being sick of the doom and gloom and wanting a page 3 uplift!

[StevePIraq]

Two further grips gripes about Thai tourism, I have just been to Ayuttahya and Nakhon Ratchisima (Korat).
1. At both locations the hotels in question had no one who could communicate in English unless of course you count the baggage boy at Korat who was able to communicate a little. If hotels wish to have foreign tourist and Ayutthaya has plenty they really do need to have some people who can speak some additional languages, they do not have to be fluent.
2. Hotel must tell the truth about facilities they offer, in Ayutthaya we were informed over the phone that the hotel had a restaurant, gym, wi-fi amongst other things; when inquiring about these facilities we were told they used to have them but not any more. What B#ll S**t