Last Friday, Lung addie was tipped that a high visitor was coming. The Minister of Sports and Tourism would visit Coral Beach the next day, Saturday, in the context of expanding and spreading tourism to the more southern part of the country. There's something in that for the readers of the blog, so Lung addie will be there.
Weerasak Kowsurat is the name of the Minister of Sports and Tourism. A 52 year old who received his law degree from Harvard University. So speaks perfect English, which of course makes it a lot easier for Lung addie.
A summary of a conversation of about 1 hour.
For 30 years there have been problems in Thailand's tourism sector. This was because no department was really responsible for the follow-up and development of a sound policy. The tourists came and went and that was it. In 2008 there were 15 million, in 2017 there were already 35 million and the expectations for the coming years are even higher. Barely 15 years ago, the ministry was founded and then a combination of two completely different items: Sport and Tourism. The ministry has barely 130 employees who have not yet been specifically trained for a task in the tourism sector. They are also responsible for issuing all kinds of permits, which means that they actually deal with the real task, tourism. little or no activity.
This, of course, has implications in different areas. The biggest problem is not the accommodation, but the concentration. Most tourists only go to a few hotspots such as: Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai, which are promoted by the travel agencies as well as internally. This means that these regions are simply overloaded and there is so much space that is not used. This overload then causes enormous environmental problems in its place. Pure water, clean beaches, enormous damage to the coral, mountains of waste that cannot be processed temporarily…. If we continue to work like this, tourism in Thailand will simply become a victim of its own success and the Minister is only too aware of that.
Tourism is not just about creating money, but ensuring that it can be maintained and further expanded in the future. After all, it is a very important source of income for Thailand which provides a large number of jobs to the Thai population. He therefore wants to focus, at least if time permits, on a different approach to tourism. First, a wider spread. He sees this opportunity south of Hua Hin where the most beautiful beaches of the Gulf are located. There is still enough space here for further expansion.
He also sees the possibility of making better use of technological possibilities such as the Internet. A hotline where the locals can report problems, Problems such as attractive sites that need an overhaul and where the local government does not have the resources or staff to deal with.
Weerasak Kowsurat – Minister of Sports and TourismConcentrating the Government Tourism Department. Currently, there are actually two agencies responsible for tourism: TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) and the Ministry of Sports and Tourism. One (TAT) takes care of the customers and the other (MST) takes care of the infrastructure. He compares this to running a restaurant where one takes care of the customers and the other takes care of the food without the customer service knowing how many people can be fed.
Yes, he is well aware that there is still a lot of work to be done in the coming years if Thailand does not want to see its position in the tourist industry lost to neighboring countries, such as Cambodia, which, albeit through the intervention of the Chinese, has an increasingly large taking share. Just look at what's happening in Sihanouckville.
Actually, the conversation could last much longer because many questions could not be asked. Some very important ones:
What about the local population? Are they waiting for a tourist expansion to this region? This province is already one of the most prosperous in Thailand. Everyone has a job, be it in the palm-rubber-durian-coffee scampi and especially fishing. An expansion of tourism would mean that a large part of these activities will have to make way for the tourism sector. How do the local people see this?
What about waste disposal? There is not even a single water treatment plant for miles around. Simply discharging the wastewater into the sea would be a disaster for fishing.
How to solve the personnel problem? In a tourist industry you need specifically trained personnel. People who speak other languages besides Thai and that is just a disaster here. Labor from Myanmar is already needed in agriculture and housing construction, but these are useless in the tourism sector, except as maintenance personnel.
We will continue to follow up. New Nordic Coral Beach is a good example that will clarify the further evolution and what Lung addie follows closely every week.
Moderator: This is the last warning. If you continue to make insulting and generalizing comments about Thai, we will block you.
The minister has a fresh look in his eyes. Hopefully he will have time to give direction and execute plans.
This man is indeed intelligent, look at his Harvard education. This is effectively his second term in office. He held the post in 2008 for two years. These were Thailand's 'turbulent years' where there were problems other than sports and tourism. He was appointed by the cabinet of then head of government Thaksin. After the military coup, all these people were deactivated and replaced by the military. He was succeeded by Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, a lady known as, I quote, "media-savvy figure known for her always-rosy take on Thai tourism". In the end, the military rulers reappointed him as a minister, although he is not a soldier but a civilian.