Thailand's Image And Tourism

[andyww]

I've said it before on this forum...I'll probably be saying again soon, but Tourisim or an increase in Tourisim id not what Thailand needs. What Thailand needs is investment in industry that creates real jobs. Tourisim creates nore maids, waiters, bellboys, and so on, That's fine enough for a quick jump start to an economy...but 20 or 30 years later does Thailand really want an economy based on maids, waiters, and bellboys?

Tourisim is like giving a bottle of cheap wine to an alchoholic...it seems to solve the problem but in the long run all it does is make the problem worse.

Tourisim is a industry where most of the income goes to the owners and opearators. The employees are usually lower paid and not very skilled workers.

So the question really is: Does Thailand really want a service economy of maids and bellboys (not to mention the pimps and hookers that also go along with tourisim), or do they want a production economy based on manufacturing and higher level trained workers...the kind of jobs that generate the pay those workers can use to send their children to school to improve the general education level in Thailand.

Economic experts refer to tourisim as "the sweet honey trap" of tourisim...because you get stuck in it, and then you can't get out.

Thailand has plenty of industry. It is a world-leader in food production and export for a start. How do you think a country can attain a healthy balance of payments surplus and hold over 120 billion USD of American foreign debt without having any industry? Its the Western economies which are all bankrupt through losing most of their manufacturing industry.

There is also nothing wrong with supplanting this by a healthy tourist and other services sector.

I really find it strange how many threads on TV seem to centre aroung the Thai economy apparently being in dire straits when it is in fact faring extremly well compared to virtually all Western economies. As I have said before, I reckon some people here think the Thai economy is measured by how many people there are in the gogo bars.

[edgarfriendly]

if u REALLY wanna know what the thais want 'long term'

ASK the chinese.

theyve had the place locked down for centuries.

land ownership issues? nononooo

ef

[Rucharee]

3 words are needed.

Sex, violence and corruption.

Slogans for a change:

Amazing Sex

Amazing Violence

AmazingCorruption

Edited June 21, 2010 by Rucharee

[mrtoad]

Are you kidding me?? Not to many people are basing there vacation to Thailand on old crimes. Most people do not even know of these incidents. The image of Thailand has been tarnished more by the recent conflict. Do I want to visit a country that just killed over 80 of it's own People? A country that is repressive in free speech and actually will go so far as to try and buy a satellite to restrict anti-government venues. I am not a red shirt supporter by the way before you blast into me. This tourism article is misplaced and I think it is trying to shift the lack of visitors to Thailand away from ' Reality"

Too true.

Thailand now has an Emergency Decree in place to arrest anyone they want to and place them in prison without charges against them and no bail.

There is no freedom of the media. Government propaganda blasts out unabated.

The foreign media is lambasted as "biased" simply as it reports the truth.

Hundreds of thousands of websites are blocked by the government.

Terrorists in the south bomb, kill and behead civilians and yet are not called terrorists.

Protestors demanding new elections are called terrorists.

Thailand is a disgrace now and its no surprise the tourists are not visiting. Probably Burma is more "democratic" and "free and just" than Thailand now.

Put a sock in it, your lot haven't earnt much sympathy recently - they screwed it up for themselves. Now please get back on topic, and get rid of the paid for posters.