Hotel & Tours Group

The Tourism Authority of Thailand plans to improve conditions at 5,000 local destinations after finding only 10 per cent of them were attracting domestic visitors.

Chairman Weerasak Kowsurat said only 500 of the destinations were drawing local tourists, among them Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin and Bangkok.

"In Japan, Hakone is a good example of success in domestic tourism. That city has a population of only 150,000 but welcomes nearly 20 million visitors a year, more than 19 million of them Japanese. I would like to see something like that in Thailand."

He said the country needed to offer new products and services to attract tourists, local and foreign alike, now that the global economic slowdown has depleted the number of travellers. Thousands of unspoiled attractions are ready to be developed and promoted.

"At present, global tourism is declining, due to many problems, so it is difficult for us to attract international tourists," said Weerasak. "The tourism industry won't survive if we don't have new magnets.

The TAT has outlined a plan for long-term development, part of which is aimed at promoting domestic travel to second-tier provinces. It will work with relevant government bodies for further action.

The TAT will also improve land transport by upgrading roads and installing a global positioning system throughout the Kingdom to help visitors know about accommodation, tourist sites and other interesting places. Information will be translated into different languages, especially those of neighbouring countries.

Weerasak said many more tourists would drive into Thailand from neighbouring countries once free-trade agreements took effect. Moreover, the TAT plans to boost the cruise industry by inviting operators to add Thailand to their international routes, with Phuket, Ranong and Hua Hin are potential ports. At present, Singapore is the cruise leader, with 1 million passengers a year.

To attract cruise liners, the government will develop "turnaround ports", in order to attract holidaymakers from third countries like China. Weerasak also plans to meet with the State Railway of Thailand about converting some long-haul trains into "tourist trains", with bedrooms, a spa, a library, a coffee shop, massage services and a children's corner.

This service has been introduced in Vietnam on the rail route between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

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