TAT To Estimate Impact On Tourism From Thai-Cambodian Clashes

[webfact]

TAT to Estimate Impact on Tourism from Thai-Cambodian Clashes

The Tourism Authority of Thailand is keeping a close eye on the Thai-Cambodia border tensions, even though the recent clashes have not posed any significant threat to the country’s tourism industry yet.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Suraphon Svetasreni said that it is too early to assess what effects the Thai-Cambodian clashes along the two countries’ borders that broke last Friday will have on the country.

Suraphon said the TAT is not planning to revise its tourism promotion campaign because overall, the travel industry remains intact and foreign tourists have not negatively reacted to the border tensions.

He added that the TAT is considering a new public relations campaign to promote the Songkran festival, in order to help achieve its 2011 tourism target of 15.8 million.

In 2010, Thailand surpassed its target of 14 million visitors and recorded more than 570 billion baht in tourism revenue.

And while Suraphon conceded that Thai tourism operators will likely suffer from rising costs during the first quarter of the year, he is confident that affected business operators will be able to adapt.

Nevertheless, the TAT is predicting that the country’s tourism sector will continue to be able to cope with the impact of the volatile global energy prices, natural disasters, and the liberalization of trade and services in the region.

It is also urging everyone involved to move quickly in mitigating risks and focusing on intra-regional collaboration with ASEAN markets to offset the contraction in major markets, such as the US and Europe, which currently make up as much as 17 percent of the industry’s revenue.

-- Tan Network 2011-02-08

[animatic]

Just throw the bundle of sticks in the air, note the positions, drink some Lapsong Suchong, and then look at the tea leaves. Note the arrangement like a Rorschach test, and then write a press release to make everyone feel better about their resort booking cancellations. Ok Sabai! something was done, my TAT job is secure till next week at least.

Edited February 8, 2011 by animatic

[DoctorG]

I hate Songkran . The fewer drunken tourists the better. grrrrr

[Oberkommando]

They are still peddling the myth Thailand attracted over 14 million last year. In one article it was a record 15.5 million!

They would be lucky if it was over 9 million.

[alant]

i expect 2011 will see record tourism as the global economy recovers, fuel prices stabilise and western currencies recover against the surging Asian currencies.

[zakk9]

Promote Songkran? Most tourists that I know who have suffered through the wet week, try to avoid the disaster at any price.

[anterian]

I thought Thailand was trying to discourage backpackers, they are the only tourists that seem to enjoy getting soaked and floured.

[stickyrice2000]

I would not be surprised if the number of tourists breaks the records in 2011. The hotels will be over 70 percent booked. I am waiting for the TAT to confirm my estimate on their next press release. LOL

[yesdavy]

There is no Songkran campaign in place so it will take weeks to do that which puts us at the beginning of March only 5 weeks out from Songkran. A testament to the naivete of children at the helm disregarding the fact that inbound arrivals plan further ahead than 5 weeks for international travel or is it commonly misunderstood that people just happen to have that time set aside and wait until the last minute to jump into the place of headlines whispering coup, anti-government demonstrations in the streets on the heels of last year and Egypt news vids, plus the recent attraction of artillery and mortar rounds peppering border communities.

[falconman]

I hate Songkran . The fewer drunken tourists the better. grrrrr

Hear Hear!! I honestly can't see the attraction of Songkran to farangs - unless they are complete pissheads as Doctor G infers.

[timekeeper]

to inflate the tourist numbers they will have to once again adjust the number of days you are give on a border run

in the old days it was 30 days now its 15 so the same people have to go in and out twice as much as they did before

if they make it ten days the same people will have to go in and out 3 times every month

that will lift the numbers nicely.........

[ExpatOilWorker]

Each time Joe-blow semi resident tourist does a border run across the border to Cambodia, is he then counted as 1 (one) tourist arrival??

Edited February 8, 2011 by ExpatOilWorker

[asiawatcher]

Just throw the bundle of sticks in the air, note the positions, drink some Lapsong Suchong, and then look at the tea leaves. Note the arrangement like a Rorschach test, and then write a press release to make everyone feel better about their resort booking cancellations. Ok Sabai! something was done, my TAT job is secure till next week at least.

Excellent appraisal - head for the Directors position! LOL Good post.

[spidermike007]

And if you think I honestly believe thailand achieved it's goal of 14 million tourists in 2010, then I want to give you a deposit to purchase the Brooklyn Bridge. They just make this crap up, as they go along. The TAT has about as much credibility as the Bush or Obama administration. They are adding all kinds of numbers that have no business being in the tourist visits in 2010 column. Visa re-entries, business visas, government visas, and who knows what else. Believe the TAT at your own peril. They are not credible on any level.

[prefabs]

Looks like a slow news day to me. Utter tripe

[timekeeper]

Each time Joe-blow semi resident tourist does a border run across the border to Cambodia, is he then counted as 1 (one) tourist arrival??

yes he is

[inmysights]

I thought Thailand was trying to discourage backpackers, they are the only tourists that seem to enjoy getting soaked and floured.

And they're the only tourists who know where Cambodia is.

[Orac]

It would be interesting if there were figures for how many tourists in these figures are due to Cambodia. Two groups of friends of mine visited Cambodia/Vietnam last year but travelling from the UK via Suvarnabumi - they both spent one night in airport hotel on the way back because of flight times. This I assume means that, although they spent the vast bulk of their time in Cambodia/Vietnam they would have been measured twice in Thailands tourism numbers.

[Pawpcorn]

Quote: TAT to Estimate Impact on Tourism from Thai-Cambodian Clashes

The Tourism Authority of Thailand is keeping a close eye on the Thai-Cambodia border tensions, even though the recent clashes have not posed any significant threat to the country’s tourism industry yet.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Suraphon Svetasreni said that it is too early to assess what effects the Thai-Cambodian clashes along the two countries’ borders that broke last Friday will have on the country.

Suraphon said the TAT is not planning to revise its tourism promotion campaign because overall, the travel industry remains intact and foreign tourists have not negatively reacted to the border tensions.

He added that the TAT is considering a new public relations campaign to promote the Songkran festival, in order to help achieve its 2011 tourism target of 15.8 million.

In 2010, Thailand surpassed its target of 14 million visitors and recorded more than 570 billion baht in tourism revenue.

And while Suraphon conceded that Thai tourism operators will likely suffer from rising costs during the first quarter of the year, he is confident that affected business operators will be able to adapt.

Nevertheless, the TAT is predicting that the country’s tourism sector will continue to be able to cope with the impact of the volatile global energy prices, natural disasters, and the liberalization of trade and services in the region.

It is also urging everyone involved to move quickly in mitigating risks and focusing on intra-regional collaboration with ASEAN markets to offset the contraction in major markets, such as the US and Europe, which currently make up as much as 17 percent of the industry’s revenue. (End Quote)

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GOD! I just LOVE this form of generalization, double-speak, and use of nonsense meaningless verbs and terms. Looked at, in totality... this article says nothing, and evades being specific about everything!!!

I think this is Thai "greng jai", chai-mai ??? (in this case say you are doing, and WILL do something, but not really DO ANYTHING.)

and this "liberalization of trade and services in the region"...??? What is THAT exactly??? Business Dictionary dot com describes "trade liberalization" as: "Removal of or reduction in the trade practices that thwart free flow of goods and services from one nation to another. It includes dismantling of tariff (such as duties, surcharges, and export subsidies) as well as non-tariff barriers (such as licensing regulations, quotas, and arbitrary standards)."

Can anyone explain just how or why "the country's tourism sector" needs to "cope" with the "removal of or reduction in the trade practices that thwart free flow of goods and services from one nation to another"??? What, we have tour guides (or someone or something else) from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Burma now giving tour trips, competing with the local folk? <deleted>?

whew... this stuff is just to good to have been made up. Then again... maybe something was lost (or added) in translation.

[jayjay0]

Promote Songkran? Most tourists that I know who have suffered through the wet week, try to avoid the disaster at any price.

Well I can understand there feelings.

But then again how many of them regret it and are unhappy with the experience.

I do not regret the experience one bit I believe every one should attend at least one. There is not a lot of festivities in the world where a Westerner can take the stick out of his rear end.

Then again how many tourists do you know. There is a heck of a lot of them lining the streets around the moat and driving around it in Trucks with barrels of water in the back.

[dumball]

'inmysights' timestamp='1297155895' post='4205248']

'anterian' timestamp='1297142516' post='4204720']

I thought Thailand was trying to discourage backpackers, they are the only tourists that seem to enjoy getting soaked and floured.]

And they're the only tourists who know where Cambodia is.

You would not happen to be in the employ of TOT would you ? Maybe you just gather commissions on the wealth of information you supply on tourism to surrounding countries , or maybe , just maybe , you have no idea of that which you speak .

Do you tour often or maybe doing visa runs is where you form your convoluted thinking .

[ableguy]

i expect 2011 will see record tourism as the global economy recovers, fuel prices stabilise and western currencies recover against the surging Asian currencies.

dream on in cuckoo land.

[londonthai]

and this "liberalization of trade and services in the region"...??? What is THAT exactly??? Business Dictionary dot com describes "trade liberalization" as: "Removal of or reduction in the trade practices that thwart free flow of goods and services from one nation to another. It includes dismantling of tariff (such as duties, surcharges, and export subsidies) as well as non-tariff barriers (such as licensing regulations, quotas, and arbitrary standards)."

Can anyone explain just how or why "the country's tourism sector" needs to "cope" with the "removal of or reduction in the trade practices that thwart free flow of goods and services from one nation to another"??? What, we have tour guides (or someone or something else) from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Burma now giving tour trips, competing with the local folk? <deleted>?

whew... this stuff is just to good to have been made up. Then again... maybe something was lost (or added) in translation.

they are plans for the borders liberalisation within asean countries, similar to european union. So far there is no timeframe. There well might be tour guides and other jobs within the travel industry, as well ass the other industries - some jobs might need local licence to carry work.

Border conflict with cambodia will put those plans back. That's one of the reasons why asean leadership is trying to mediate between cambodia and thailand