OTD raises bar on standards issue

Hotels that fail to gain the OTD standard could lose an opportunity to host government funded meetings.

The Office of Tourism Development will ask the Thai Cabinet to order all government units to use hotels that are certified by its Thailand Tourism Standard scheme.

If approved government departments would have to select hotels that comply with the standard when using government budgets to fund meetings and seminars.

It would require hotels to present evidence of membership in the scheme to be eligible to host government meetings, a lucrative market in Thailand’s provinces.

The OTD’s standard which is symbolised by an elephant logo was launched in 2007, but it is largely ignored by the travel industry. It contains 36 standards for tourism services and tourism sites.

OTD’s Bureau of Tourism Services Department director, Kajorn Weerajai, said hotels enrolling in the Thailand Tourism Standards programme are trained, audited, receive a quality logo once they are approved. Hotels are identified in the OTD’s directories, brochures and websites.

However, the standard is not yet well known in business and is not used as a marketing tool.

At present there are around 200 resorts or hotels that are certified by the Thailand Tourism Standard out of an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 nationwide. The office will cooperate first with the 600 hotel members of the Thai Hotels Association to convince its members to enrol in the scheme.

Also, it will ask the Board of Investment to give special loan or grant facilities, such as lower terms of interests.

“We are also trying to increase awareness of our programme in the market. We have approached Thai Airways International, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Suvarnabhumi Airport and Airports of Thailand to help promote our standards to tourists through their channels,” said Mr Kajorn.