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Published on November 30, 2007

The three have been following their leaders, who recently announced tourism policies to business operators in Bangkok.

They are Sakoltee Phattiyakul of the Democrat Party, Paradorn Prissananantakul of the Chart Thai Party and Boonsit Thamrojphinij of Matchima Thipataya. They all are seeking votes in districts in the capital.

Sakoltee, the son of well-known military man General Winai Phattiyakul - permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry and also secretary of the National Legislative Assembly - is contesting in Zone 4, which includes the Bang Sue, Laksi, Chatuchak and Phya Thai districts.

With experience in investigation at the Department of Special Investigation as well as being former secretary to the permanent secretary at the Justice Ministry, Sakoltee said the party would help operators in the entire industry by developing tourism standards and enhancing services.

He said the party would improve standards of hotels, restaurants and all related businesses, as well as allowing local people to manage their tourist operations.

He advocates building awareness of being good hosts through local communities and also taking good care of tourists during their stay as part of measures to protect against crime.

"Many tourists still claim that they are cheated by taxi drivers or even robbed while in Thailand. These and similar problems will be solved," said Sakoltee.

He added that the country's image had been destroyed by several incidents, so the party would focus on these threatening factors.

"The party also plans to develop more mass-transit systems and better infrastructure in order to help tourists get to attractions easily," said Sakoltee.

The party also plans to build new tourist attractions in the provinces, which could generate revenue in local communities. Sakoltee added that the party would promote "green" tourism as part of the critical issue of global warming.

Meanwhile, he will encourage local people to travel domestically instead of overseas. Attempts have already been made to boost domestic tourism such as negotiating with operators in Phuket, Krabi and Cha-am, which have been described as too expensive for locals, to implement dual-pricing systems and offer lower prices for Thais.

The Chart Thai's Paradorn, who is competing in Zone 1 in Bangkok, said Thailand had become a popular destination, but is still poor in resource management.

Many tourist places have been destroyed, including the famous beach of Pattaya. "To reclaim tourists the party will rebuild Pattaya as well as Bang Saen Beach in Chon Buri," he said.

The son of Somsak Prissananantakul, he also believes that it is time to build tourism in rural areas instead of major cities by promoting local products and handicrafts.

The party will also encourage communities to exchange their culture, which automatically entices people to travel.

Boonsit, son of Por Pratuman, is competing on behalf of the Matchima Thipataya Party, also in Zone 1 in the capital. He said the party would develop the country as a commercial centre in the region so that it could draw international tourists.

"We already have Pratunam Market, Chatuchak Weekend Market and Khao San Road, but tourists are cheated by vendors so the party will reduce these problems," said Boosit.

He added that more security measures for tourists needed to be considered to restore the confidence of visitors.

Suchat Sritama

 The Nation