Hotel association believes junta's beach crackdown will lure tourists back
SUCHAT SRITAMA
THE NATION


Soldiers carry away canvas beach recliners as part of the process of restoring order at Hua Hin beach.

BANGKOK: -- The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) is encouraged to continue improving the public image of attractions across the country in a bid to draw more tourists in the coming high season.

"More major tourist destinations such as Pattaya and Bang Saen in Chon Buri, the city of Chiang Mai, Koh Samui in Surat Thani, Koh Chang in Trat and other popular beaches in the South need to restore their image and also get rid of local mafia gangs," Prakit Chinamourphong, ex-president of the Thai Hotels Association, said yesterday.

The tourism image has been damaged for years by local people through scamming. A lot of tourists were also cheated, and that sullied the country's reputation, he said.

The THA and key travel associations including the Association of Thai Travel Agents and Domestic Travel Association have called on the Tourism Ministry to crack down on the mafia at destinations for many years but nothing was achieved because of interference from local politicians and businesses.

However, when the NCPO moved to clean up management and organise several places such as Patong beach in Phuket and Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan, their tourism images immediately turned beautiful, he claimed.

"Patong beach now seems more beautiful than beaches in Hawaii in the US, while Hua Hin has now become more upmarket and looks costly," Prakit said.

Earlier, the Tourism Council of Thailand asked the junta to reappoint the National Tourism Policy Committee to deal with tough situations as well as to solve problems at tourist attractions nationwide.

The body has been inactive since the military took control of the government in May.

The Tourism Council also asked the military to continue rebuilding the country's tourism image and also restore tourists' confidence. Some of the urgent problems needing to be fixed are illegal taxis, tourist scams and non-standard operators at beaches.

The Thai Hotels Association and the Tourism Council recently proposed tourism recovery plans for short and long terms to the junta in order to help revive the economy. The private sector has also asked officials to boost security and safety measures for visitors and also promote domestic tourism.Many tourists are returning to the country ahead of the peak season beginning in October. Chinese tourists are pouring into Thailand this week, just after visa fees were waived for them, he added.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Hotel-association-believes-juntas-beach-crackdown--30241203.html


-- The Nation 2014-08-19

Patong beach more beautiful than beaches in Hawaii? Someone's been sipping the kool-aid.

Edited August 18, 201411 yr by zaphod reborn

How you restore the confidence of tourists when at the same time at the floating market foreign tourist officially have to pay 2.5 times the price Thais have to pay? Does the new constitution will have a section which guarantees the superiority of the natives over all other humans? Human rights Thai style?

Balance all the propaganda about bringing tourists back with the other thread on pricing for non-Thais to hire a motor boat at a floating market.

Thainess !

When the beaches are completely empty they will be even more beautiful.

as usual publicity stunt, last week i did read an article in a phuket newspaper that we can not quote here.

The jet ski mafia are back on the beach. If the army ban them again, the mafia told the journalist, they will have to turn to another

criminal activity, because they cant stay unemployed.....

So vendors are not being fined for encroaching public land or for overcharging tourists. Instead they receive newly dsignated areas ??

Get those deck chairs off the beach that will sort it!

Slightly off topic but lottery tickets are back to the old prices, at least where I am.

"They'll be back".......someone should have made a movie based on that line.....

When the beaches are completely empty they will be even more beautiful.

Yea Man, and you think you will be there alone, others keep away. Right?

The best way to predict future behaviour is to look at past behaviour. The only way criminal gangs will go away is if they go away to prison. That's a fact.

Patong Beach last Sunday was dirty like a dumpster. Trash all over the beach and no officials cleaning up.

Jet Ski, Parasail in full swing and people have to sit on the ( dirty ) sand, as chairs for rent are banned.

Really, better than Hawaii...

"Patong beach now seems more beautiful than beaches in Hawaii in the US, while Hua Hin has now become more upmarket and looks costly," Prakit said.

This bloke certainly doesn't travel very much...

Do these bastions of officialdom get together with the journos for some king of Timothy Leary lysergics party

Then the resultant psycho babble gets quoted as news?

Let the bars open until 4am. Then protect and serve the tourist during this time. Thailand will have so much more money they will be able to improve infrasturture to a more modern country. The train really needs updated!

It will take a lot more proactive initiatives from the NCPO to lure back the tourists to LOS.

OK a few of the beaches, in a few places, have been cleaned up a little, but in the overall scheme of things, this a a paltry attempt so far at luring back the the tourists here.

Even if things do not revert back to the status quo, there are still so many issues to confront, which will keep the General and his guys busy for the next 5 years

Keep clean the beaches and check the idiots wjo race on the raoads over 100 km/h the rest is nothing

Patong beach more beautiful than beaches in Hawaii? Someone's been sipping the kool-aid.

Yes, false pride speaks volumes. False pride without any knowledge or wisdom to back it up, speak even louder, and even less clearly. No doubt these beaches would improve with some discipline. The kind that has been lacking for DECADES. Any positive change is welcome. But, enforcement is necessary, or what really changes?

How you restore the confidence of tourists when at the same time at the floating market foreign tourist officially have to pay 2.5 times the price Thais have to pay? Does the new constitution will have a section which guarantees the superiority of the natives over all other humans? Human rights Thai style?

Tight Wad.

"Patong beach now seems more beautiful than beaches in Hawaii in the US, while Hua Hin has now become more upmarket and looks costly," Prakit said.

This bloke certainly doesn't travel very much...

i'm sure that lad can not even point Hawaii on a world map !

That picture is just so funny. Soldiers "restoring order" by taking away lounge chairs!

One example. Pattaya/Jomptien, the revenue they collect, they have masses of resources, apart from late night bin collection, and the few that bother to sweep the roads-----where are the permanent beach workers constantly cleaning the beach ??? What they do is tell the chair venders to do it.

SOME deck chair owners rake up into piles, the tide comes in and washes the dung back into the sea. OR where there are no chairs the rubbish is static on the beach and flow into the water and back on the beach.

This attitude from City hall----keenyow---tightfisted -Scrooges. The sand here is not white, the sea is not blue, ok we cannot replace these, but for god sake spend and have beach teams caring, then you have customers.

Cette image est tellement drôle. Soldiers "rétablir l'ordre" en enlevant des chaises longues!

it is the reflection that I have given​​. And more every military wears a deck chair when he could carry at least three at a time.

Eh! Well, Those are toy guns they should wear when they are at attention within the sentry boxes.

Whoa, I can speak French!

edit: yeah, one soldier per chair, hilarious stuff!

Edited August 19, 201411 yr by taony

The Tourism Athority of Thailand, the Tourism Council, the National Tourism Policy Committee. . . what on earth have this little lot been doing to allow so many scams, abuses and so much pollution become rampant on Thai beaches. Maybe they need a clean-up, too!

This is the miracle of the Buddha, there is the one of Our Lady of Lourdes

How you restore the confidence of tourists when at the same time at the floating market foreign tourist officially have to pay 2.5 times the price Thais have to pay? Does the new constitution will have a section which guarantees the superiority of the natives over all other humans? Human rights Thai style?

Yeah, it’s same in most countries. I guess they figure that citizen’s have special rights over tourists as it’s their country.

Edited August 19, 201411 yr by fullcave

so you remove some beach chairs & illegal restaurants, but the water is still filthy as hell where raw sewer is comming straight from the hotels ....

I don't get it. Why am I meant to sit on a beach with out a chair, umbrella and small table? Answer I will not, I will get sun burnt, be uncomfortable in the extreme and have no place to put the ice and drinks.

As for the food, where is that?

We usually stay at the same seaside town, use the same beach vendor and they take special care of us, maybe everyone, but because of their good service we always return. They clean the beach, as it is in their interests to do so.

I am really confused, can anyone explain as I do not wish to drive miles to find the beach I love has become a photo opportunity, empty of any facilities!

Foreign tourists are not staying away from Thailand because of scams and beach shacks -- those things are to be expected in Southeast Asia. They're staying away because the country is currently governed by a military junta, and because the visa rules have suddenly become extremely unclear.