On the road to recovery

Thailand’s travel industry should return to normalcy over the next nine to 10 months, according to Skal International Thailand president, Andrew Wood.

He was addressing the joint Skal and Pacific Asia Travel Association year-end lunch, yesterday at the Dusit Thani Hotel, that attracted over 100 leading travel and hotel executives, including the recently appointed Tourism Authority of Thailand governor, Suraphon Svetasreni.

Mr Wood reminded travel executives that exactly a year ago the industry faced its “darkest hour with the closure of Suvarnabhumi airport on 25 November, 2008, by political demonstrators.”

“At this meeting, last year, we asked for special protection in the future, for all airports as special economical sensitive zones that should be  free of demonstrations.”

He noted that “common sense had prevailed and the government had partially succeeded in reaching that goal.”

In contrast, to the popularly-held view that Thailand’s troubles are over economically, the Skal president placed recovery some nine months further down track, possibly in the fourth quarter of 2010 when the traditional high season kicks in.

He warned executives not to be complacent by relying on the return of high occupancies with high rates, full tour buses and high yield air passengers.

2009 was described as a year of managing business better, trimming the work force and being more focused on quality and customer care.

“We have come out of the crisis with a more skilled and a better trained workforce, that no longer takes for granted bonuses and service charges given by owners and directors of our businesses.”

But recovery would not be plain sailing, as Mr Wood outlined worries that the country’s development in infrastructure and technology was “being outpaced by neighbours due to the distraction of political uncertainty and political disturbances.”

Calling for a positive response, the travel press and travel industry should focus on “positive things that have made the industry, in the past, a world leader.”

Meanwhile, leaders in the travel industry should not shy from taking positions of influence, but they needed to act with honesty and responsibility to ensure development of tourism is conducted in a transparent way.