High hopes for new tourism minister
Call for key travel policies to continue
Now the new cabinet line-up has been settled, tourism operators are calling for greater unity between each ministry and related authorities to continue with the plan of making Thailand a tourism and aviation hub.
Sanga Ruangwattanakul, president of the Khao San Road Business Association, said the cabinet reshuffle would not disrupt the government’s stability, as long as its flagship policies continue, particularly the the 2030 Ignite Thailand vision, which aims to elevate the status of Thailand in the fields of tourism and aviation.
Under the cabinet reshuffle, the culture minister and tourism minister will switch roles. Culture Minister Sermsak Pongpanich will become the tourism minister, replacing Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, who will take over from Mr Sermsak at the Culture Ministry. Mr Sanga said that while Mr Sermsak is not recognised for having experience in the tourism industry, his previous experience as a minister in several other ministries ought to be useful in his new role.
However, Mr Sanga said the new minister should recruit tourism experts as his consultants and as members of his working team.
In response to the sudden resignation of Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara from the role of foreign minister, Mr Sanga said Mr Parnpree had set a high standard for significant policies, such as the permanent visa exemption scheme between Thailand and China, and extending the period of the visafree stay for Russian tourists.
“The new foreign minister is expected to work harder for unfinished missions, such as discussing visa-free entry for Thais with European nations, and pushing for seamless tourism in Southeast Asia by positioning Thailand as a hub,” said Mr Sanga.
To strengthen small and mediumsized tourism operators – the largest revenue contributors for the tourism industry – Mr Sanga said the new Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira should work more coherently with the Bank of Thailand to solve certain ongoing issues, such as a reduction in interest rates.
He suggested the finance minister would regain public confidence by settling all disputes with internal agencies, instead of openly criticising others when they had different viewpoints.
Than etSu porn sa has rungsi,p resident of t he Association of Chonburi Tourism Federation, said all ministries should work more collaboratively to boost Thailand’s economy and tourism industry, especially between the transport, t ourism and f oreign ministries.
For example, now that Pattaya and Chonburi can help increase carrying capacity by utilising U-tapao Airport, these ministries should work together to beef up the number of flights and increase tourism demand, said Mr Thanet.
He said the government should attract airlines that offer potential by providing incentives such as discounts on landing fees, parking fees or fuel surcharges, and by preparing transport from airports to the city centres.
Looking at the government’s eight months in power, he said, overall, tourism operators have already benefited from the visa exemption schemes with many countries.
However, in terms of long-term policies, including soft power, they have yet to provide a fruitful outcome.
The government should upgrade tourist safety along with convenient travel between destinations, not just delay construction as seen with Rama II Road, which has been an obstacle for tourism in Hua Hin and Cha-am, said Mr Thanet.