Watch your competitors

BANGKOK, 28 November 2012: Tourism experts suggest Thailand should have a strong identity and seek business partners when  the ASEAN region upgrades to a single market in 2015.

Speaking at the Association of Thai Tourism Marketing meeting on Creating Tourism Marketing Opportunity for AEC, Tuesday, Dr Seree Wongmontha, said Thai tourism operators should know who is their competitor besides just concentrating on tourist marketing.

“Also, they should have a concrete tourism strategy to compete when liberalisation arrives especially in the field of tourism human resources and English language skills.”

Compared to ASEAN human resources, Dr Seree said Thai personnel specifically the generation Y under 35 years are weaker than in  neighbouring countries.

“This generation lacks ambition to work and succeed and does not pay attention to get involved with the real core of tourism skills.

“Unlike Singapore and Malaysia, the Thai government has never appointed the right person to supervise the tourism ministry particularly the top post of minister, a position of leadership, but the country’s tourism is trampled on as if it does not matter,”  he claimed.

He added: “Easy, convenient, fast and consistent are key concepts that tour operators should aspire to n order to raise tourism marketing strengths.”

He also suggested that the country should tap colourful legends to increase tourist attraction value.

“Thailand’s tourist attractions lack charm because there are no stories or legend to tell tourists. The country therefore should pay more attention to this issue.”

In addition, the country should create more new products , the kind he called a “purple cow” citing examples of the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket, Underwater Weddings in Trang, and the annual monkey festival in Lop Buri.

He also called for an end of dual pricing stating the prices for Thais and foreigners particularly admission fees should be identical.

“There should not be double pricing for foreigners in any part of the tourism industry….the two price standards between local and foreigners suggests prejudice and that we are an uncivilised country.”

Many of the attractions that charge duel prices are run by the government, not the private sector, such as national parks and the Night Safari in Chiang Mai, but greedy private operators have not been slow to follow the national government’s example of racial discrimination in pricing.

He warned that Myanmar was a rising star  and if it got the ground rules right now its tourism would expand at a very fast pace in the future. Therefore, cooperation with CLMV countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) was essential to drive Thailand’s tourism.

“Thailand moreover should create brand and develop tourism quality, management, safety and security to lift up industry standards.”

Phuket Jet Tour Company managing director, Charn Wongsatayanont, said aviation and single visa schemes will impact on ASEAN tourism.

“Those issues will result in loss or benefits for countries due to different rules and regulations that depend on government negotiations.”

Mr Charn said that to survive Thai tourism operators needed to recognise the following:

• Seek business partners particularly in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam to co-operate on tourism package;

• Increase convenient access to ASEAN by air, sea, land and river to build more opportunity to be an ASEAN hub;

• Collaborate with National Tourism Organisations in each country to promote ASEAN packages;

• Organise trade shows in ASEAN to bring ASEAN sellers to meet together and introduce products to each others;

• Drive governments to adopt more concrete tourism development plans and regulations.

Sourced: ttrweekly