TAT will get a cash boost
April 28, 2010 by Chanida Sa-ngiamphaisalsuk
Filed under News
Ministry of Tourism and Sports permanent secretary, Arttachai Burakamkovit, says the minister of Tourism and Sports will ask the Cabinet, next week, for Bt1.6 billion budget to stimulate tourism once the current political unrest ends.
According to Mr Arttachai, the budget will be used for tourism marketing by the Tourism Authority of Thailand — just Bt600 million for domestic market and the rest Bt1 billion will be for international marketing.
Also, the Ministry will ask the Cabinet to extend the grace period for soft loans granted since Suvarnabhumi Airport closure in 2008 for another year; increase the loans by Bt5 billion; waive the national park entrance fees for another year; and support tour programmes for transit passengers.
Tourism Authority of Thailand governor, Suraphon Svetasreni, said if approved the new budgets would be used for road shows, advertisements, familiarisation trips and cooperation with overseas agents and airlines, to create awareness in markets where the losses were most dramatic. He identified Asian markets as a priority. A special deal website following the style of http://www.thailandhotdeal.comthat was used after the tsunami disaster will be introduced.
Also for domestic markets, TAT will cooperate with the private sector to organise more consumer fairs in high spending power areas — two in Bangkok; one in the western region; one each in the North and South.
Shane says:
I really hope the industry advises – no demands – the government reacts to the present situation as follows, and not with yet another round of promotion and cost cutting :
1. Tells the government it does not want money wasted on marketing nor does it want to be asked to offer lower prices. Thailand is too cheap already.
2. Demands that the Baht 1.6 billion, or a large chunk of it is used in direct grants to the tourism industry – particularly the SME’s, to implement the following training, and cover the cost of both training and salaries for the staff being trained:
# English language training – for tourism.
# Basic marketing.
# Social media & online marketing.
# Guide training upgrades – to learn about customer service and something OTHER THAN where to get the highest shopping commissions.
# New product identification – 60 minutes spent watching the success stories of his majesty’s sufficiency economy proponents on MCOT will provide the industry with a real education on the real Thai culture, character and charm – the real USP’s.
# Tourism business management.
Money spent this way will:
a. Put the industry in a far better position to bounce back when the time comes.
b. Improve the product range and the image of the country as a tourist destination.
c. Improve efficiency, revenue and the bottom line going forward.
d. Offset the losses currently being incurred.
Additional grants or soft loans to convert from the brown to green business model – refitting properties etc., will create employment and benefit us all.
It will also provide all the FREE PROMOTION we would otherwise buy. Which media outlet would not cover – and laud – such a down to earth approach?
Please may we have some support for this call from the rest of the tour industry.
TAT should have a plan before it goes with its begging bowl again. There is no strategy and the grim reality is nothing this worthless body does will affect arrivals until a political settlement has been achieved. And since that can’t happen any time soon the TAT should find creative ways to keep the industry buoyant and people employed. The outflow of skills, the lack of new training and the very real destruction of Thailand’s image abroad cannot be fixed by junketeering bureaucrats and adspend. What will they propose, yet another mega-FAM? The last one was a failure, but the toadies had a good time. The sun is setting on the old Thai tourism industry, and the country has to look for ways to reinvent itself, not wheel out the same old nonsense about smiles and sunshine. The industry itself needs leadership, not some tired old has-been minister and his flunkies who wouldn’t know an idea if it was supposited.
Why don’t we all wear green shirts and occupy the Starbucks at Central Chidlom until this moron Chumpol resigns. You might as well take 1.6 billion baht out to the middle of the street and burn it. That’s how effective another gimmicky PR campaign will do (although the hand-picked PR people who receive this windfall would be disappointed to see a campfire).