Steps urged to solve major tourism problems
Travel operators want the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) to solve four major problems, in order to boost the number of domestic and foreign tourists.
They want action over entrance fees for national parks, promotion of the troubled deep South, negative publicity and domestic marketing.In November, national parks are due to increase entrance fees for foreigners from Bt200 to Bt400, with Thais facing a rise of Bt50 to Bt100. TCT president Kongkrit Hiranyakit yesterday said many national parks were not ready to increase charges as facilities were not yet well prepared. The poor quality of services might leave tourists unimpressed. The second recommendation is to promote tourism in the three southernmost provinces, despite the political unrest and ongoing violence. "The government should prepare some promotions specific to the provinces," said Kongkrit. TCT has received complaints that some negative news has caused tourists to shift to other destinations. "Warnings about floods or bad weather could force tourists to cancel trips to Thailand. Travel operators urged the weather department to pay more attention to this," he added. The last suggestion is to promote domestic tourism in all regions, instead of mainly major cities. The government and private bodies should combine tourism products as a way of attracting more tourists. Kongkrit said the problems had been brought to the attention of Pornsiri Manoharn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The Nation
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