See-through scans in hot water
February 24, 2010 by Imtiaz Muqbil
Filed under Viewpoint
Controversial full-body scanners currently used in two British airports may be illegal and can potentially aggravate race relations, the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) warned last week.
TCT misquoted in foreign press
The Tourism Council of Thailand’s statements on how the crisis management centre would respond, if there was serious unrest in Bangkok in late February, were taken out of context.
Content is key and also sensitive
February 15, 2010 by Imtiaz Muqbil
Filed under Viewpoint
The effort to co-brand the ASEAN tourism campaign as Southeast Asia is set to be closely watched by the Myanmar tourism authorities who say they will hold the ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) responsible if the new marketing campaign website begins to be used for anti-Myanmar criticism.
Retracing trails through Myanmar
February 11, 2010 by Guest Columnist
Filed under Viewpoint
Despite sanctions led by the US and EU countries, Myanmar’s tourism continues to attract travellers, who believe their tourism revenue will ultimately filter down to grass root level.
Rise and fall of Asean’s tourism brand image
January 25, 2010 by Imtiaz Muqbil
Filed under Viewpoint
In 1992, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations pulled off Visit Asean Year, one of the world’s most spectacular brand-building and marketing campaigns in the history of travel and tourism. Today, in a remarkable admission of its own failure to build on the momentum, the Asean tourism industry leaders claim that the “Asean” brand is not well known. Instead, they are about to embark upon a new marketing campaign and strategic plan that will seek to downplay or, as they claim, “co-brand” the Asean name with “Southeast Asia.”
US racial profiling under fire
January 11, 2010 by Imtiaz Muqbil
Filed under Viewpoint
New security policies implemented by the US government in the aftermath of the botched attack by the “crotch-bomber” on Christmas Day 2009 are coming under fire from travellers, airlines and civil liberty rights groups worldwide.
Security costs will soar again
January 4, 2010 by Imtiaz Muqbil
Filed under Viewpoint
The foiled bid by a Nigerian to blow up a US airliner has given security authorities the excuse they needed to get governments and the aviation industry to spend billions more on security, including body-scanners. The incident has also triggered renewed fears of racial profiling by visa officers and immigration authorities.
Thai tourism picks up steam
December 28, 2009 by Imtiaz Muqbil
Filed under Viewpoint
Thanks to a surge in tourism arrivals in the last quarter of 2009, the Thai tourism industry is projecting to close this year with 14 million arrivals, down just 4% over 2008.
Top-down approach a recipe for failure
December 23, 2009 by Imtiaz Muqbil
Filed under Viewpoint
The reasons for the failure of the Copenhagen Climate Change summit have uncanny similarities to the reasons for the failure of the Pata “CEO Challenge” organised by Pata in April 2008, an event that was supposed to highlight the role of travel and tourism as a solution to the climate change problem.
Charity in a Chiang Mai promotion
December 21, 2009 by Imtiaz Muqbil
Filed under Viewpoint
At a time when the downturn-hit travel and tourism industry is looking for cost-effective ways to market destinations, a 65-year-old Scot now retired in Chiang Mai and his Malaysian colleague are promoting Thailand’s Rose of the North and at the same time helping some of its under-privileged children.
