Bangkok Post

Remember why we smile

- COMMENTARY: NAREERAT WIRIYAPONG Readers can send their feedback or comments to nareeratw@Bangkokpos­t.co.th

Recently, I was honoured to interview Park Won-soon, the mayor of Seoul, who kindly reminded me about

world-renowned hospitalit­y. A frequent visitor to our country, Mr Park told me, “The smile is the best product of Thailand.” His remark got me thinking about how many people seem to have forgotten how “The Land of Smiles” earned its reputation.

Yes, the stresses we face in everyday life, from traffic jams to politics (oops!) or even bad hair days can make it hard to keep smiling. But hospitalit­y is particular­ly important when you are in any kind of business that deals with customers, whether they’re from Thailand or abroad.

Lately, I walked into the restroom of a luxury department store in Bangkok and saw a maid chatting on the phone (in Burmese, I think) and giggling occasional­ly. During that time, there were customers walking in and out but she seemed to pay no attention to anyone apart from the person on the other end of the line.

Of course, no one expects a maid in a restroom to be standing at attention every second, but talking on the phone while on duty doesn’t look good. The restroom isn’t a great place for a phone conversati­on, unless perhaps you don’t want your boss noticing what you’re doing.

But please don’t forget that your job represents our country. When you’re on duty, make sure that you do your best to serve your customers and keep an eye out for what they need; otherwise, they might never come back.

Already we are seeing signs that Thailand is losing some of its appeal in China, the country’s biggest source of tourists. Some have grown irritated by the criticism many Thais express about the less-than-decent behaviour of some mainland tourists. As well, the new ban by the Land Transport Department on foreign-registered vehicles travelling between provinces, ostensibly for safety reasons, has taken a toll.

Many wealthy Chinese travel in private vehicles in northern Thailand. They form a big part of the 7.9 million Chinese who visited the country last year, up 71% from 2014. The Tourism Authority of Thailand forecasts as many as 10 million Chinese travellers this year. Many also have deep pockets with average spending of 5,000 baht per person per day.

Yes, some Chinese tourists behave inappropri­ately and this has led to a lot of anti-Chinese sentiment expressed on social media. The famous White Temple in Chiang Rai temporaril­y banned Chinese visitors last year but later abandoned the policy.

Social media sites are full of condemnati­on for offences that range from scooping up too much food at buffets to littering, careless handling of artwork and being noisy. The constant criticism has made many Chinese feel they are being looked down on. Now we are seeing reports of Chinese travellers boycotting Thailand in favour of countries where they’ll feel more welcome.

The vehicle ban hasn’t helped. Since it took effect in late June, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Chiang Mai, on group tours and in private vehicles, has begun to drop, with a knock-on effect on hotels and restaurant­s.

Boontha Chailert, president of the Associatio­n of Thai Travel Agents in Chiang Mai, says this “silent protest” has in fact been going on for a few months. He says Chinese visitor numbers in Chiang Mai are down by 30% and could continue to shrink further.

The TAT office in Kunming reports that the Chinese government has already imposed penalties on Chinese tourists who behave inappropri­ately abroad, in some cases banning them from leaving the country for 10-15 years. Beijing has also stepped up efforts to educate Chinese citizens about proper manners when travelling to Thailand.

I think it’s important that Thai and Chinese authoritie­s continue to communicat­e about this issue in a constructi­ve way, led by the TAT and tourism industry groups, to create better understand­ing among Thai and Chinese people. Tour guides and travel agents also have roles to play in explaining what people should or should not do in Thailand.

I myself have to admit to being annoyed by the improper manners of Chinese people sometimes, but only expressing a negative attitude toward them will not do any good for the economy or relations between the two countries.

Thai citizens instead should keep our hospitalit­y and friendly manners on proud display and help our visitors to understand our country better. Our reputation as a preferred destinatio­n was not built overnight, so we should remember to smile.

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