Phuket's 'Father of Tourism' makes plea for industry's future

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Phuket's 'Father of Tourism' makes plea for industry's future


Wichit Na Ranong and Bill Barnett.

PHUKET: -- Wichit Na Ranong, owner of the Indigo Pearl Resort, and acknowledged as Phuket’s “Father of Tourism” last night (September 6) made a plea for concerned business people and stakeholders in the tourism industry to get together to work out ways to make the island’s tourism industry sustainable.

Mr Wichit was speaking at a packed American Chamber of Commerce meeting at his resort, attended by around 120 people, including top developers, hoteliers and tourism figures.

He laid out a history of the island’s tourism industry, much of it a long struggle against government neglect, a battle by local business people to get basic infrastructure such as power, water, communications and flights.

Now, he said, there are real concerns about continuing government neglect, though of a different kind. “The government talks only about numbers of tourists and how much they spend. This worries us a lot. It makes sustainable and quality tourism impossible.

“What will be our future? The government has a policy to support tourism, but no action.”

Unlike in other countries – where governments impose rules and regulations and the private sector have to plead for relaxation of them – in Thailand, Mr Wichit said, “When negative impacts are felt, and [there is] deterioration, it has always been the private sector who drew the government’s attention to the problems.”

“Taking a lesson from 34 years ago, when a group of operators like us were the stakeholders [and pushed the government to respond], now we have more stakeholders – people who come here to invest in property, services, retail and many others – so maybe it is time for those stakeholders to voice [their concerns] insistently to the government, like we did at the beginning.”

Asked afterwards by The Phuket News whether he planned to lead the new push, perhaps to call a meeting of like-minded people, he said, “I have no specific approach for the time being. I’m just trying to motivate them to do something together. I’m tiring – we can give the younger generation some ideas and some direction.”

Questioned how long he thought it would be before Phuket’s tourism becomes definitively unsustainable, he said, “I don’t know. It depends. There are two factors that were involved in the past take-off of tourism. One was consistent effort and the other was luck. So I can’t say how much effect luck will have.”

For example, he said, modern-thinking and forward-looking politicians and senior ministry staff could make a big positive difference, while if they were conservative, nothing would get done. Which type one would get at any time was a matter of luck.

He also admitted that constant changes in government and ministerial posts these days is leading to a worrying lack of consistency.

“I have heard from many colleagues that [Tourism and Sport Minister Somsak Pureesrisak] is very active. But I don’t know how long he will stay. You never know.”

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phukets-father-of-tourism-makes-plea-for-industrys-future-41772.php


-- Phuket News 2013-09-07

[clockman]

Panic setting in, As long certain parties are controlling everything. Nothing going to change. But this runs through the whole of Thai society.

[EvilDrSomkid]

My advice to every tourist coming to Thailand.

DO NOT GO TO PHUKET!

[simon43]

I attended this meeting on Thursday night. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Wichit Na Ranong's presentation were his reminiscences about the early years of tourism in Phuket..

What was very clear from his speech was that right from the start of tourism in Phuket, successive governments and government organisations have done little or nothing to build a sustainable and controlled tourism sector on the island.

Right from the start some 40 or so years ago it has been a free-for-all, with the private sector and individuals generally doing whatever they wanted, or government officials either incompetent or unwilling to act to ensure a healthy and regulated growth of the tourism sector and infrastructure.

In the early days, the effects of this unregulated growth were not too bad - one or two illegal businesses - no big deal.

Now the island is over-run with these illegal and unregulated businesses, advert hoardings etc etc and Phuket's motto is no longer 'Phuket - Pearl of the Andaman Sea', but 'Phuket - island of greed'.

That being the case, I feel that Wichit Na Ranong, although well-intentioned, is simply 'p*ssing in the wind', because the authority's complacency for the past 40 years is highly unlikely to be replaced by proactivity now.......

Simon

[Nooky2]

"father of tourism" is this to give babble some credence? Some reality in a Thai world of absolute oblivion?

This BS run a muck.

[Phronesis]

I only listen to self made entrepreneurs and eschew poor little rich kids. Wichit Na Ranong fits into this later category. How successful would he have been if his grandfather and father hadn't purchased huge land holdings on the Island with their tin mining money.

[Benmart]

I only listen to self made entrepreneurs and eschew poor little rich kids. Wichit Na Ranong fits into this later category. How successful would he have been if his grandfather and father hadn't purchased huge land holdings on the Island with their tin mining money.

I doubt Khun Wichit had much to say as to who his parentage is and it seems shortsighted not to at least consider what he is saying.

On the other hand, he appears to be one of the few with any credibility, that is warning of tough times ahead for Phuket tourism.

[thaibeachlovers]

My advice to every tourist coming to Thailand.

DO NOT GO TO PHUKET!

Well said. Best thing that could happen to Phukit would be for no tourists to go there. the whole tourist infrastructure to collapse, and build it up again, WITHOUT the taxi mafia, jet ski thugs etc etc.

I certainly do my bit on a certain travel forum by advising people not to go there, everytime the place is mentioned.

If that happened, it might put the frighteners into all the other tourist dependent places in LOS. Result- win for the tourists.

[Phronesis]

My advice to every tourist coming to Thailand.

DO NOT GO TO PHUKET!

Well said. Best thing that could happen to Phukit would be for no tourists to go there. the whole tourist infrastructure to collapse, and build it up again, WITHOUT the taxi mafia, jet ski thugs etc etc.

I certainly do my bit on a certain travel forum by advising people not to go there, everytime the place is mentioned.

If that happened, it might put the frighteners into all the other tourist dependent places in LOS. Result- win for the tourists.

Nope...you plan would fail entirely.

The tsunami did just what you described, but a decade later things are entirely out of hand.

[LivinginKata]

Nope...you plan would fail entirely.

The tsunami did just what you described, but a decade later things are entirely out of hand.

Did not take 10 years, more like 1 year. For example, all the promises that the beach front vehicle hire guys would not be allowed to re-take over many of the parking spaces, but they were back after a few months.