According to the TAT, foreign tourist arrivals in 2007 are expected to reach 14.8 million, an increase of 8.42 per cent, while revenue should go up by 13.83 per cent to Bt547.5 billion.

The TAT is expecting 82 million people in transit through the new international airport and Bt377.8 billion in revenue, an increase of 8 per cent from last year. There has been a growing number of domestic tourists this year, though not as many as predicted.

Although the political situation has caused some complaints from abroad, Suraphon said that tourists did not care much about this factor. There was more concern in Europe and America for the safety of tourists.

"The tourism industry will increase if Thailand is able to improve on the product in three areas: services, safety and environment," said Suraphon.

Regarding the readiness of Thailand to recover from damage to the tourism industry, Suraphon said that while the TAT focused on the marketing of Thailand, preventive measures were important as well.

"Thailand has had many problems in the past. Sometimes it's something we cannot control like Sars or the tsunami. However, many problems have a short attention-span period and we are able to recover quickly," said Suraphon.

Although Suvarnabhumi Airport has suffered many problems such as missing luggage and delayed flights, he believes such glitches cannot be avoided during the first three or four months after the opening of any airport.

But Suvarnabhumi has never faced any major problem with the landing of planes, which is the biggest factor for airports. Suraphon said there would be more improvements at the airport, especially facilities.

"Luggage has been a problem in the past. However, there will be more development in facilities like increasing the number of toilets," he said.

There has been an increased number of flights from many countries to Thailand, especially South Africa and Scandinavia, with the TAT responding quickly in the marketing sector.

Recently, the TAT has been the host of the Jazz Royal Festival, helping its profile as a host of major musical events.

The recent floods did not lessen the number of tourists as they changed their itineraries. Flooded tourist destinations such as Ayutthaya switched to dinner cruises on riverboats.

Suraphon said the TAT was targeting people who come for business seminars, educational groups, cultural groups, family vacations, diving and bird watching.

"For next year, we will try to develop the momentum that came with the celebration of the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession to the throne. We would like to increase the momentum into next year," he said.

Lisnaree Vichitsorasatra

 The Nation