Phornsiri Manoharn – Governor, Tourism Authority of Thailand
Contributors are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the contributor directly
1) Thailand has been through some troubled times recently. How confident are you that the country’s tourism industry can weather the current storm?
The protests are no longer taking place, word is spreading that everything has returned to normal and the visitor flows are already resuming. All the tour operators and travel agents are also well-abreast of the conditions and working at full capacity to ensure the safety and security of all visitors. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand are moving rapidly to ensure that the all-clear word is spread as far and wide and as quickly as possible.
2) Earlier this year the government outlined its tourism mega-projects; is the 5-year plan for these projects still on track?
All projects are still on track. For example, the government has given high priority in providing opportunities for the promotion of investment. They have set a policy and designated the years 2008-2009 as the “Thailand Investment Year 2008-2009” and the “Visit Thailand Year” with the sub-theme “Impressive Thailand”. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has given significance to the promotion of strengthening the conditions for investment by promoting the cooperation between the related agencies, both within the government and the private sector.
3) TAT conducted several European road shows earlier this year. How effective have these been?
We received a good response from the European market. According to our statistics, international visitor arrivals from Europe during January – June 2008 at Suvarnabhumi International Airport were up 14.07% to 1,736,013. The top five markets were the United Kingdom (365,195), Germany (249,101), France (177,749), Russia (164,504) and Sweden (119,975).
4) What advice would you give to potential tourists to Thailand?
Thailand is blessed with excellent tourism assets including a rich cultural heritage, wide variety of natural attractions, as well as world-class tourism facilities and infrastructure. All these have helped Thailand become well-known as a generally peaceful kingdom and quality, value-for-money destination for international visitors. We have built on these assets by providing visa-free and visa-on-arrival facilities, excellent transportation networks to and within Thailand, and strong promotional and marketing support.
5) What is the idea for the perfect Thai vacation?
We want our visitors and guests to feel that they have received good service and warm hospitality and been enriched by our culture and heritage. A perfect Thai vacation must include at least one or all of the above: 1) Purchasing of locally-made traditional crafts; 2) a therapeutic massage at one of the many health and wellness spas; 3) Learning how to make at least one good Thai dish (the top favourite is Tom Yam Kung); 4) a better understanding of His Majesty the King’s principles of sufficiency economy.
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