Apichart Sankary, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), said yesterday that the TAT and other state agencies should create a new campaign to attract international tourists, because the country now faced stiff competition from neighbouring countries.

He said that although several previous national campaigns, such as Amazing Thailand, Happiness on Earth, Unseen Thailand and the current Thailand Grand Invitation, had been successful, the country had no major strategy for next year.

Earlier, Thai Hotel Association president Chanin Donavanik said the Kingdom would face tough competition in the next five years, because all of the major players were introducing new campaigns.

He said Hong Kong would launch six new attractions, while Singapore planned to promote its casino complex and Macao to advertise itself even more as a gambling destination.

"The TAT has no specific five-year tourism plans, unlike other countries," he said.

Chanin said the TAT should use some new strategies instead of price-cutting if the country wanted to increase revenue.

The TAT's target for tourist arrivals next year is 15 million, up from an estimated 14 million this year. From this projection, the country would gain Bt500 million in revenues.

"I don't see any signs that the country will achieve that target except by tackling all the weak points," said Apichart.

He warned that cheap tour packages, especially from China and South Korea, were hurting the industry's image. China's low-fare trips, known as "zero-dollar tours", represent one of the biggest problems facing Thailand tourism for a decade. The TAT should strictly regulate tour-operating licences in a bid to protect the industry.

Apichart said many travel companies had set up in Thailand illegally over the last 10 years, specifically to serve Chinese tourists. As a result, the country had lost revenues of more than Bt10 billion a year.

ATTA figures show that China accounted for most inbound tourists during the first five months of this year, with 216,919, up from last year's 107,092. South Korea maintained its firm grasp as the second-largest market, with 170,901 visitors, with Japan coming in third with 155,537.

"China is one the biggest markets for Thailand, and it will grow gradually in the long term. So we have to eliminate all of the problems, and we should start today," said Apichart.

Suchat Sritama

The Nation