Emphasis should move towards 'quality' tourists, forum told
The Environmental Research Institute of Chulalongkorn University and the European Union have urged tourism bodies to focus on quality tourism rather than numbers in order to build a sustainable industry, and to encourage entrepreneurs to improve their services to meet international standards.
Pongsak Vadhanasindhu, deputy director of the institute, told a forum yesterday that the country had been focusing on quantity tourism for many decades. The strategy has caused many problems, including environmental damage and social problems, as well as creating the image of a cheap destination. Thailand is already famous as a sexual destination, which is against the world trend of quality tourism, he said. In order to reduce these problems in the Kingdom, the institute and The Natural Guide, which is under the Bumi Kita Foundation based in Paris and supported by the EU, have organised the first workshop on "Meeting EU Standards for Sustainable Tourism" in Bangkok. The forum started yesterday and ends tomorrow. The event is aimed at increasing the understanding of European standards for sustainable tourism, thereby enhancing the capacity of the tourism sector to meet the standards applied in EU countries. The seminar is part of a one-year project promoting studies and practices for sustainable management of tourism in Thailand. Pongsak said tourism experts had urged operators and government bodies to change their management ways and stop targeting numbers, in order to build long-term quality tourism instead. "Eighty per cent of European tourists want to visit places where there is concern about the environment and natural preservation. The tourists also expect a higher level of services," he said. The panel will also discuss what could be learned from a comparison of tourism development in the Kingdom and Europe in order to identify the next steps to build a sustainable Thai tourism sector. The experts will offer practical tools such as a green directory and a handbook of best practices for sustainable tourism development. Nicole Hausler, an EU tourism management expert, said Thailand needed to improve its tourism industry to meet international standards. She said tourism bodies should learn more about the creation of tourism awareness and understanding European demands, and the criteria for sustainable development - including certification and ecotourism in Europe. One suggestion offered for development of ecotourism is the use of local materials to preserve the environment. "The EU's environmental scheme, such as certifications for environmentally responsible tourism, could enhance Thailand's competitiveness," she added. Suchat Sritama, The Nation
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