Political Instability Main Worry For Thai Tourism Industry

[webfact]

Political instability main worry for tourism industry

BAMRUNG AMNATCHAROENRIT

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The tourism outlook remains bright this year, but clouds lie ahead, especially political instability as the major threat to foreign visitor sentiment, according to the Centre for Economic and Business Forecasting.

"I believe tourism is a rising star to help drive the economy if there is no serious political trouble taking place,'' Assistant Professor Thanavath Phonvichai, the centre's director, said yesterday.

The centre's survey found 29 per cent of tourism-sector participants were worried most about politics, followed by an economic crisis at 24 per cent, natural disaster at 23 per cent and an outbreak of epidemic and new diseases at 22 per cent.

Political stability was still lacking, according to 40 per cent of the 600 tourism operators nationwide that were polled from December 26 to January 2. The question highlighted in this poll was operators' opinion on global economic trends and Thailand's tourism in 2013.

Thanavath said it was clear that politics was considered as a key risk to the industry. Since early this year, the political scene has been plagued with conflicts, such as a drive to amend the Constitution and a land dispute involving the Preah Vihear Temple, which could spark a repeat of demonstrations by the yellow-shirt movement against the ruling of the International Court of Justice.

DAMAGE LINKED TO TENSIONS

However, the damage to tourism will depend on the level of political tensions. If the situation gets worse by interfering with tourists' convenience like the closure of an airport, the impact will be huge.

Operators' concern over the political and economic situation has stifled new investment in the industry. About 85 per cent have no plan to invest in 2013. They will keep waiting to see how political and economic developments unfold, and also how they can access funding. A full 56 per cent see no change in the economy this year while 33 per cent think it will be better than 2012.

Even as the minimum daily wage rises to Bt300, operators should be able to adjust to the new environment. In the short term, the government should offer tax deductions to save their business, while in the long term, skills training should be held. The growth in visitor arrivals would help offset their rising costs.

Based on political certainty, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) should succeed in achieving its foreign tourist target of 24.5 million, up 11.4 per cent from last year. Tourism revenue is forecast to grow by 19.1 per cent to Bt1.149 trillion and spending per head by 6.9 per cent to Bt46,898.

Suraphon Svetasreni, TAT's governor, welcomed the poll results and acknowledged political uncertainty was among the challenges. However, the poll would be useful for the TAT to design a practical plan for tourism promotion.

Although the global economy, especially with Europe steeped in debt and the US facing a fiscal cliff, is not in the best of health, Thailand's tourism industry is still on the rise. In 2012, the poll found that 49 per cent of participants said they did not experience any problems from such a drop.

In 2013, 48 per cent of the respondents believe the country's tourism prospects will stay unchanged from 2012, but 47 per cent said the situation would improve.

A third viewed eco-tourism as the market with the most potential, and felt that the government should encourage it. Following were honeymoons and weddings at 21 per cent, shopping at 21 per cent and medical tourism at 20 per cent.

-- The Nation 2013-01-09

[DocN]

Don't worry!

No matter what happens, 2013 will be a new record year for tourism in Thailand, with about 27 million visitors...or even more!

Wanna bet?

[scotto]

interesting they fail to mention all the scams and rip offs and the bib with their hands out?

oops maybe i let the cat out of the bag?

[noitom]

The big question is how much longer will Thais be able to move the sex trade through their gates. It seems as though sex selling is something that the Thais do better than anyone else in the world. They nailed it. These Thais, boy oh boy!

Hats off to the girls, the real "backbone" of the Thai tourism trade. You don't see a lot of pop up ads on web sites for elephants and temples do you? The big worry that the Thai tourism industry faces is an outbreak of AIDS or Syphilis or some other communicable disease scare.

[hellodolly]

I gave it zero credit when I saw a academician was forecasting it.

They based it on a survey. Survey's in Thailand are taken place when you want to prove some thing. You go to the surveyors tell them what you want proved and they take up a survey to prove it.

for instance if you wanted to prove that the White House was painted all in black you would hire a Thai survey to prove it and sure enough you would receive a survey saying 67% of the people believe the White House is painted all in black.

[whybother]

Yingluck thinks it might be concern over the 2006 coup that is keeping people away.

[dcutman]

A third viewed eco-tourism as the market with the most potential.

If they want to go this rout, I would suggest doing some serious cleaning, and educating people that every horizontal surface or waterway is not a personal dumping area.

I dont think many eco-tourist can appreciate tours of the beaches, rivers, parks and everything in between with all the litter laying about.

[Thait Spot]

Don't worry!

No matter what happens, 2013 will be a new record year for tourism in Thailand, with about 27 million visitors...or even more!

Wanna bet?

I'm sure the minister is including migratory flocks of birds in his figures.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect App

[seligne]

No mention of the world's economy circling the drain (with the exception of a very few places)?

[shunima]

The big question is how much longer will Thais be able to move the sex trade through their gates. It seems as though sex selling is something that the Thais do better than anyone else in the world. They nailed it. These Thais, boy oh boy!

Hats off to the girls, the real "backbone" of the Thai tourism trade. You don't see a lot of pop up ads on web sites for elephants and temples do you? The big worry that the Thai tourism industry faces is an outbreak of AIDS or Syphilis or some other communicable disease scare.

This is maybe how it looks like from the seedy corner you chose to sit in. The places I visit are full of tourists and no bars around at all. The mass tourism is not dependend on sex trade, it's just a group and it's not the majority. I really wonder sometimes about the company one chooses with free will

[Tatsujin]

Yingluck thinks it might be concern over the 2006 coup that is keeping people away.

Well, we all know she's an idiot anyway so I wouldn't concern myself too much over what she thinks or says. It's all just repeated from her big brother anyway.

[lemoncake]

Don't worry!

No matter what happens, 2013 will be a new record year for tourism in Thailand, with about 27 million visitors...or even more!

Wanna bet?

Agree, if unsure just ask resident experts on tourism nisa, and the sidekicks.

Considering that Thai political problems have very little importance or interest for the rest of the world , as not only hardly anyone follows Thai politics outside Thailand , it is hardly ever publicized unless something very major takes place, I would have guessed that the rising prices should be the worry for tourist industry

[Mudcrab]

Yingluck thinks it might be concern over the 2006 coup that is keeping people away.

Well, we all know she's an idiot anyway so I wouldn't concern myself too much over what she thinks or says. It's all just repeated from her big brother anyway.

That should be VERY concerning

Edited January 9, 2013 by Mudcrab

[oldsailor35]

interesting they fail to mention all the scams and rip offs and the bib with their hands out?

oops maybe i let the cat out of the bag?

Thats it!.....Nothing to do with politics, just rip offs scams and corrupt police.

[oldsailor35]

Yingluck thinks it might be concern over the 2006 coup that is keeping people away.

Well, we all know she's an idiot anyway so I wouldn't concern myself too much over what she thinks or says. It's all just repeated from her big brother anyway.

Wrong there mate, i don't think she's an idiot. In fact it would not surprise me to learn that she is far more higher educated than you are, judging by your immature remarks.

Edited January 9, 2013 by oldsailor35

[unanimosity]

interesting they fail to mention all the scams and rip offs and the bib with their hands out?

oops maybe i let the cat out of the bag?

If you are a government in power in an unstable political arena, wouldn't you romance the private sector with propaganda to support the status quo?

What is missing from the propaganda, of course, is the steady stream of assassinations and bombings by insurgent terrorists in the south. Have any embassy travel alerts been issued about political instability? Even the center's own stats show political instability to be at 29% while all the others are in the mid to low twenties. Hardly convincing stats. Because there is no mention of tourist safety from unprovoked attacks, rapes, theft, burglary, scams, electrocutions, missing persons, "suicides" and poisonings,

[bigbamboo]

So we now have a near 20 per cent tourist revenue increase forecast for next year on top of last year's record year.

This should make the people in the business feel very, very happy indeed.

I just hope that's not the intention......?

Edited January 9, 2013 by bigbamboo

[Tatsujin]

Yingluck thinks it might be concern over the 2006 coup that is keeping people away.

Well, we all know she's an idiot anyway so I wouldn't concern myself too much over what she thinks or says. It's all just repeated from her big brother anyway.

Wrong there mate, i don't think she's an idiot. In fact it would not surprise me to learn that she is far more higher educated than you are, judging by your immature remarks.

Well, being educated doesn't automatically make one competent or capable of running a country or managing a crisis. And being a "clone" and a mouthpiece for her self-exiled brother endears her to me even less. And don't start on her achievements in business either prior to coming to power, she got what she got because of her brother, not because she was a superb businesswoman.

And if you want to get into an argument on education though, no problem . . . happy to stack up my academic achievements and credentials against hers.

Edited January 9, 2013 by Tatsujin

[unanimosity]

Yingluck thinks it might be concern over the 2006 coup that is keeping people away.

She is right, but those people are not likely to be tourists so much as investors and diplomats with their fingers on the purse strings of foreign governments.

[unanimosity]

As for eco tourism having the most potential, well, that statement was clearly made from an ivory tower office far from the view of oil-slick klongs, Pattaya beaches, illegal logging, national park encroachment, endangered species sales, littered streets and highways, unfiltered factory smokestacks and toxic fumes. One has only to cross the border from Laos to see the difference from where citizens have respect for the land and country. Lao streets rarely have litter and seeing empty lots or countryside plots covered with trash is very rare. The watersays look much cleaner.

[Baerboxer]

Yingluck thinks it might be concern over the 2006 coup that is keeping people away.

She is right, but those people are not likely to be tourists so much as investors and diplomats with their fingers on the purse strings of foreign governments.

No she isn't. It is the concern of future coups, of which the potential seems to be growing; or the concern of investing in a "democracy" that morphs into a family controlled dynasty who make and disregard laws to suit themselves. Either way a concern fo investors. The Baht is kept artificially high and misleading "white lie" statistics issued to show the stong economy and clever policies like the rice scam scheme actually work.

[chooka]

interesting they fail to mention all the scams and rip offs and the bib with their hands out?

oops maybe i let the cat out of the bag?

No you didn't let the cat out of the bag. Thailand took a hammering in the Australian media during 2012 and it had very little to do with Thai Politics. The news stories were the murders, assaults, rapes, deaths and scams not just committed against Aussies but also Brits, Canadians and the like.

The Ambassadors haven't been highlighting the political tensions but the scams and dangers to thier citizens. Australia is also considering a proposal that airlines flying direct to Thailand (and Bali) show a short video on flight warning of the pitfalls one could face during thier holiday. The same as thier travel warnings on thier website. I am sure if you asked the man in the street back home who is the Thai P.M, the opposition leader and what is a red shirt or yellow shirt you would get a lot of blank looks. Then ask what are the pitfalls of Thailand and to be wary of. I am sure you will get a lot more answers on the 2nd.

Personally and just my opinion I think they should concentrate on real issues concerning tourists like the local mafias, the thugs and the rackets. They were going to eliminate these last year but I think that has been put on hold whilst they negotiate compensation packages for the godfathers.

[chainarong]

interesting they fail to mention all the scams and rip offs and the bib with their hands out?

oops maybe i let the cat out of the bag?

I didn't know you had a cat

[chainarong]

interesting they fail to mention all the scams and rip offs and the bib with their hands out?

oops maybe i let the cat out of the bag?

No you didn't let the cat out of the bag. Thailand took a hammering in the Australian media during 2012 and it had very little to do with Thai Politics. The news stories were the murders, assaults, rapes, deaths and scams not just committed against Aussies but also Brits, Canadians and the like.

The Ambassadors haven't been highlighting the political tensions but the scams and dangers to thier citizens. Australia is also considering a proposal that airlines flying direct to Thailand (and Bali) show a short video on flight warning of the pitfalls one could face during thier holiday. The same as thier travel warnings on thier website. I am sure if you asked the man in the street back home who is the Thai P.M, the opposition leader and what is a red shirt or yellow shirt you would get a lot of blank looks. Then ask what are the pitfalls of Thailand and to be wary of. I am sure you will get a lot more answers on the 2nd.

Personally and just my opinion I think they should concentrate on real issues concerning tourists like the local mafias, the thugs and the rackets. They were going to eliminate these last year but I think that has been put on hold whilst they negotiate compensation packages for the godfathers.

In a nut shell, ya said it all brother.

[diehard60]

Wrong it is only the yellow shirts and foriegn gangs in pataya and phuket.

[whybother]

Wrong it is only the yellow shirts and foriegn gangs in pataya and phuket.

Yep. Don't worry about red shirt protests and the Thai gangs.

Sent from my HTC phone.

[whybother]

Yingluck thinks it might be concern over the 2006 coup that is keeping people away.

She is right, but those people are not likely to be tourists so much as investors and diplomats with their fingers on the purse strings of foreign governments.

I am not sure how something that happened over 6 years ago would affect business decisions today given the crap that has gone on since the coup, including protests and floods.

Sent from my HTC phone.

[indyuk]

Yingluck thinks it might be concern over the 2006 coup that is keeping people away.

Well, we all know she's an idiot anyway so I wouldn't concern myself too much over what she thinks or says. It's all just repeated from her big brother anyway.

That's a pathetic remark. I'm wondering if you're still in junior school.

[indyuk]

Wrong it is only the yellow shirts and foriegn gangs in pataya and phuket.

Yep. Don't worry about red shirt protests and the Thai gangs.

Sent from my HTC phone.

This year it s the Yellow shirts and their hero Khun Abhisit that are most likely drive the Tourists away with their attempts to cause trouble and political disturbances. Edited January 9, 2013 by indyuk

[Tatsujin]

Yingluck thinks it might be concern over the 2006 coup that is keeping people away.

Well, we all know she's an idiot anyway so I wouldn't concern myself too much over what she thinks or says. It's all just repeated from her big brother anyway.

That's a pathetic remark. I'm wondering if you're still in junior school.

Oh, I'm sorry . . . should I go into a long rambling drivel about how badly I think she is doing her job instead? How I think that "her" policies are all aimed at bringing her thieving brother back in the fold? How I think that these proposed changes to the constitution benefit no one but herself and her family and all the associated cronies?

Any by the way, you're the pot calling the kettle black in this instance with your pathetic remark about my pathetic remark