Govt eyes 200BN baht revenue from small, boutique hotels

[webfact]

Govt eyes 200BN baht revenue from small, boutique hotels

 

BANGKOK, 12 June 2017 (NNT) – The government is working to push forward small and boutique hotel businesses that highlight cultural aspects to attract tourists from across the globe, expecting annual growth to generate 200 billion baht revenue each year, says government spokesman. 

The government is determined to help small and boutique hotels develop their businesses to welcome tourists from around the world interested in cultural and community based tourism. Hotel owners are encouraged to creatively design their accommodations, provide attentive service, integrate Thai culture to maximize tourists' experience, and to connect other service providers. 

Government Spokesman Lt Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the government had previously piloted the development campaign with 128 tour companies and 167 hotels, and promoted online business matching on http://matching.smartthaibiz.com which now has about 3,000 users. The government is now working to extend the campaign to other regions. 

The government is also working to relax regulations to be more suitable with present business models, allowing business owners to legally develop the property they currently own into hotels, not limiting the licenses to owners of big land plots. This will allow more hotel entrepreneurs to enter the market at a rate of 30 percent each year. 

"The support for small hotel businesses helps increase the overall property value in Thailand as normal real estate cam be turned into accommodation business for tourism, improve the overall service standard in the country, and proceed to benefit auxiliary businesses in the community such as food tours and local cooking tours, spa businesses, and organic farms. These entrepreneurs will also benefit from the expansion of market using the online platforms." 

Thailand now has 8,384 hotels, 4,727 or 56 percent of which are considered small hotels. The government aims to generate revenue from small hotel businesses to reach 200 billion baht each year, which is also the goal from the previous year, that allowed 2016's GDP to reach 13.5 trillion baht.

 

-- nnt 2017-06-12

[worgeordie]

I wonder how many of these small boutique hotels have a license to operate. 

regards  worgeordie

[yellowboat]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The government is working to push forward small and boutique hotel businesses that highlight cultural aspects

What happened to the quality tourist push and filling up the 4-5 star hotels ?   Looks like the government is leaving the Hi-So's out in the cold in favor of the over all economy.  They might have discovered that the economy of the few and privileged is not feasible for filling government coffers. 

[williamgeorgeallen]

i know of a few guys myself included who tried to run small hotels. it is pretty much pointless with all the red tape and staff problems. thats why they all change hands so frequently. i ended up renting my rooms out long term and making sure the front door was always locked to stop being harassed by 'officials'  coming round looking for on the spot cash fines. i was lucky to sell my 2 places to get my money back. most are not as lucky.

[whatawonderfulday]

The guesthouses and  small hotels in the many cities (not just Bangkok or Pattaya) that offer short time rooms should be nominated as an edifying illustration of predominant Thai culture that pre-dates most of the foreign influx demand that has occurred since middle 1950's.   True Thai culture.

[maewang99]

this whole thing is predicated on the Baht, right?

 

what if the mafia guys... the ones busy 'fixing up' The Swamp... decide the Dollah Yuan cross ain't moving fast enough?

 

it'll take what, one tweet?





 

Edited June 12, 2017 by maewang99

[Ricardo]

Perhaps the government could do more to support the drive, by offering 90-day Visa-on-Arrival, and scrapping 90-day-reporting for those of us on longer-stay, thus leaving us more time to use these wonderful small-boutique-hotels, or guesthouses as I used to call them ?

[khunPer]

5 hours ago, worgeordie said:

I wonder how many of these small boutique hotels have a license to operate. 

regards  worgeordie

The 56% of 8,384 hotels, i.e. the 4,727 small hotels mentioned in the article, probably have "a license to operate", how else would the government know of them..?

[Ricardo]

Perhaps they came across them by accident, whilst raiding supposed soapy-massage establishments ?