Thread: Tourism operators urge clear policy

Tourism operators urge clear policy
Published: 12/05/2011

Tourism operators hope the new government will pay more serious attention to the industry with a clear vision and continue policies to support its sustainable development.

They agree that no matter which political party forms the new government, the industry can grow on its own if the government maintains key policies for one of the country's major foreign-exchange earning sectors.

"We rarely see concrete policies or projects for tourism. Everyone comes to power and sets higher numbers of tourist arrivals because they can claim an achievement to the public. They don't mention visitor quality, how to improve tourist destinations or new tourism products," said Chanin Donavanik, CEO of Dusit International.

He said that if you asked someone to name 20 tourist destinations in Thailand, he or she would list the same places as a decade ago.

During that same period, Singapore has built casinos and China has Disneyland and will soon have Kittyland, but Thailand has nothing new. The country's selling points are still beautiful beaches, but key rivals like Vietnam and the Maldives have those too, he noted.

Mr Chanin insisted the major problems of the industry are the lack of a clear vision by authorities and a shortage of cooperation among government agencies. Thai Airways International, Airports of Thailand and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports work separately.

"However, I think tourism will grow by 5-7% annually because we have strengths and our Thainess remains attractive. If the new leader has any insights and seriously promotes tourism, we can surpass this growth," he said.

During the past three to four years, room rates in Singapore have doubled while its occupancy rate remains much higher than in Thailand.

Thai room rates have dropped, mainly due to political squabbling since the end of 2008. The rate of five-star hotels in Thailand is about 3,000 baht per night, but in Singapore it stands at 10,000 baht. Thailand should weigh how many resources it would take to raise room rates or tourist arrivals by just 5%, he said.

"To be honest, I have no hopes for the next government because it will not make any difference," Mr Chanin concluded.

The Thai Hotels Association (THA) merely expects the new government to calm political tensions so the private sector can help itself.

The Abhisit government gave 2,000 baht per night to tourists who were left stranded at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports when they were seized by yellow-shirt protesters near the end of 2008. At that time, although the government agreed to lend financial support to small and medium-sized tourism operators, only a handful of operators really obtained such loans.

read this article a few days ago, Sydney Morning Herald, about increasing numbers of Australian tourists choosing Vietnam over Thailand and other Asian destinations

Siren song of an unassuming beauty
Jane E. Fraser
May 8, 2011



Diverse, unspoilt and inexpensive, Vietnam is luring Australians — be they families, adventurers or cruisers — away from larger Asian destinations.

Move over, Thailand, Vietnam is coming through. Australian visitor numbers to this small but culturally rich country are up almost 130 per cent, according to official figures, and wholesalers are reporting surging demand.

Vietnam has a persuasive combination of cheap prices, cheap airfares, quality hotels and diverse experiences to add to its reputation for having some of the most welcoming people in the world.



The Vietnam War is taking less of the focus and the country suffers none of the unrest that plagues some of its neighbours.

Vietnam is far from beating main competitor Thailand in terms of numbers - Thailand receives about 670,000 Australian visitors a year, while Vietnam gets about 280,000 - but many in the industry say it is the destination du jour.

The huge increase in traffic is especially noteworthy given Vietnam has no tourist office in Australia, which limits the amount of promotion it gets.

Vietnam has been one of Intrepid Travel's best-selling destinations in recent months, with a 185 per cent increase in bookings. The general manager of sales for Intrepid, James Thornton, says the country appeals to a broad audience.

"As with many emerging destinations, the backpackers have laid the foundation and now other types of travellers want to see what all the fuss is about," he says.
"Vietnam is now slowly catering for these other markets - for example, families, people seeking beach getaways and sports enthusiasts who are interested in diving and golf holidays.

"In addition, we've seen an increase in low-cost carriers flying into Vietnam from Australia."

The managing director of Discover Asia, Trevor Lake, says Vietnam's swelling popularity is due to the realisation the country has good tourism infrastructure.
"There never really was a problem but there is always an apprehension towards a 'new' destination," Lake says.

He says Vietnam has lower comparable prices than neighbouring countries such as China and Thailand, yet has kept its focus on creating quality product, such as opening hotels in converted heritage buildings.

"They're making good money out of tourism so they're not being greedy," he says. "Vietnam isn't being ruined like some places in Asia. It may happen eventually but it isn't happening at the moment."

Vietnam also benefits from being a relatively small country, so travelling from one place to another is easy and inexpensive.

Lake says the country has just as much scenic and cultural diversity as larger Asian countries, along with sincere warmth towards visitors.

"Everything is just going in its favour; there are no negatives with Vietnam," he says. "It's such a pleasant place to go. You don't feel threatened; you feel comfortable, feel safe."

Lake says Jetstar flights have helped to raise awareness of the country, though few passengers opt for the cheapest fares.

Upgrading is common among travellers heading to Vietnam because of such low prices and the strength of the Australian dollar.

"People are looking for the quality rather than the cheapie holidays," Lake says.
Travellers are also starting to go much further afield, immersing themselves in the country rather than doing the "eight-day highlights of Vietnam" kind of trip.

Growing quickly in popularity are cruises on the Mekong River, which are being added on to land-based trips and attract people who might not otherwise travel to Vietnam.

"It's a new market and it's being catered for by good vessels, it's a good product," Lake says.

APT says demand for luxury river cruising in Vietnam has been such that it has added new departure dates this year. There are now 57 departures a year for its 12-day Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong and Angkor package, which includes eight days of cruising.

A new product for Discover Asia is traditional sampan boat trips. The rattan-covered boats have a bedroom and living area and are staffed by a small crew, with passengers able to design their own itinerary and dine at restaurants along the way. Lake says sampan trips are ideal for families, for a few nights or longer.

Intrepid Travel says its most popular trip is the 10-day Vietnam Express Southbound, from Hanoi and Halong Bay, taking in Hoi An and Hue on the way to Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta.

Many travellers also choose to combine travel to Vietnam with neighbouring Cambodia, to take in the Angkor Wat temple complex.

Fighting fades
FEW Australian travellers to Vietnam are looking for war history and sites, says the managing director of Discover Asia, Trevor Lake. Apart from Vietnam veterans, who travel to specific places, the war is not a major focus.
"People rarely consider that nowadays, it's certainly not part of the normal sightseeing," Lake says. "We have a generation of people who never lived through the war in Vietnam."
Australia's military involvement in the Vietnam War began in 1962 and ended in 1973. The Australian War Memorial museum confirms almost 60,000 Australians served in Vietnam; 521 died as a result and more than 3000 were wounded.

Please find below the Strategic Development and Marketing Plan for the Development of Tourism Infrastructure in Thailand 2000 - 2020 as prepared and driven by TAT

v

Originally Posted by genghis61

"To be honest, I have no hopes for the next government because it will not make any difference," Mr Chanin concluded.

well, that was inspirational.

He mentioned 'visitor quality' (para 3) - maybe this is becoming more significant. Reading about the cashless Russian tour groups etc on Phuket, compare that with people who choose Singapore it's a different market altogether - shopping on Orchard Road or being hassled by tailors on Phuket . . . and the recent publicity, for the aware tourist who researches first, a Google search would just turn up endless lists of negatives for this country.

I have some friends, late 60s, who got a four day/3 night free stopover in Thailand later this month from their airline/airpoints - flying UK-NZ. Where? 3 nights in Pattaya - they had no choice of location, hardly likely to attract them to come back to this country when they are in the wealthy/spending side of the market.

Jane E. Fraser
May 8, 2011

Diverse, unspoilt and inexpensive, Vietnam is luring Australians — be they families, adventurers or cruisers — away from larger Asian destinations.

---- A major problem is that the country is populated by thieves.

One thing we can be sure on is that the Thais won't learn. They will continue to regard tourists as a natural resource to be destructively drift mined for maximum short term profit - and fuck the long term consequences.

The region is opening up. Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos are all opening their doors, and countries like Malaysia and even Singapore actively seeking ways to bring more tourists in.

To be fair the tourist pool is increasing - the Chinese in particular are starting to make a significant contribution to tourist demographics - but the image of Thailand gets worse every year. Never mind the natural disasters (tsunami, flu etc) - its the man made problems that people remember and factor in - the "unrest" in the south, the ongoing agitation with cambodia along the border - the continual rip off of tourists (i.e. jet skis, taxis in Phuket).

Thais just seem incapable of grasping the fact that tourist spending is discretionary spending - and unless Thais start working on both national and local levels to improve facilities, resources and especially tourist associated factors (stopping the rip offs etc) - they will be left solely with the sex tourist market over the next 10 to 20 years - and despite what many would like to believe - the tourist industry in thailand at the moment is made up of much more than just the sex tourist segment...

^ Something tells me that reactions to just-released "Hangover 2" are going to over-shadow TAT's latest gambit - at least as far as Bangkok as a tourist destination is concerned.....

Probably the best tourist promo video from Thailand TAT never released.

Originally Posted by SteveCM

^ Something tells me that reactions to just-released "Hangover 2" are going to over-shadow TAT's latest gambit - at least as far as Bangkok as a tourist destination is concerned.....

Hangover 2 is being heavily promoted in Australia and Ausies will go with what they see and relate to.