Tourism thrust in troubled times

Thousands of reporters and travel agents sat at a gala dinner in Bangkok's convention centre, just 10 kilometres from the heart of the conflict that has thrown Thailand into civil and political turmoil.

They arrived in Thailand as part of the country's tourism campaign. The night before their arrival, October 7, the protests had turned deadly, leaving one woman dead and 400 injured.

It seemed odd that Thailand would boast about its tourism at a time when the international media presented it as a country torn, divided and on the brink of what looked like civil war. But the picture was rather different from the inside.

At the gathering, after the minister of tourism had presented an almost-majestic side of Thailand, Tharit Charungvat, director-general of the information department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, took the stage in an unanticipated move.

“I would like to emphasise that the confrontation between local law enforcement officers and demonstrators on the streets of Bangkok, which you witnessed yesterday along with millions of Thai people, was an episode in Thailand's growth and development as a democracy.''

“The demonstrations remain confined to one specific area in Bangkok, about 1 square kilometre in the government district around Government House Parliament and its immediate vicinity. In other areas of Bangkok and the rest of Thailand, life continues as usual,'' Charungvat added.

The following days would witness anti-government protesters driving through the streets with megaphones to rally support, but it was business as usual in Thailand.

Bangkok's rush-hour was not swayed by the protests, tourists still haggled with street vendors and Thai massages were still offered on pavements.

It seemed odd that people were apathetic to what was going on and despite media sensationalising the conflict, tourists arrived in record numbers all across Thailand — from Phuket to Chiang Mai.

In most other countries, even a report of extreme weather is enough to make many tourists stay away, but Thailand is an exception.

Addressing the reporters and travel agents, who had the capacity to sell Thailand to their readers and clients, the director-general assured safety.

“We do not expect a repeat of the kind of disruptions which occurred recently. Local communities and chambers of commerce, not just government authorities, are now aware of the repercussions to local livelihood and the national economy,'' Charungvat said.

All these disturbances would presumably cripple Thailand's tourism. It would be fair to say that even the Thai authorities would expect that.

But Thailand has numbers on its side. Tourism is Thailand's backbone and the most important pillar of the economy.

Last year, nearly 15 million tourists visited, according to the Thailand Tourism Authority, and tourism generated nearly $50 billion in economic activity, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

More than money, tourism creates jobs, sustains various sectors of the economy and improves the local population's quality of life.

Financially speaking, Thailand could not afford to have these protests shake that pillar holding up the country in so many ways. For a country that relies on tourism, its image abroad is perhaps more important than within.

It seemed that Thailand was intent on shaking off the reports of protests and changing its image of being a major destination for sex tourism. The Thailand brand is evident in massages, textiles, spas and hospitality.

“We are slowly changing this reputation,'' Phornsiri Manoharn, Governor of Tourism Authority of Thailand, told Weekend Review.

“We have encouraged more spas to replace massage parlours and we have education and employment programmes to encourage women to leave the sex industry. We know how much this [notion] hurts our people and our image and we are working to change this. We have the tourist police, who specialise in combating cases where minors are involved.''

Despite political turbulence, “we are expecting 15.5 million visitors this year, which is up 1 million from last year. Our challenge is to change [our] image so people can see Thailand from the inside, not from the outside,'' he added.

Mucetto Emma and Gibaud Frederic are two tourists from southern France who came to Thailand to spend a few weeks backpacking from the north to the south.

They represent the typical image of Thailand's ideal tourists: young, curious and adventurous.

“We were not scared off by the travel warning reports. In fact, we were surprised that people had so much to smile about despite all that was being said in the news about the violence,'' Emma said.

Thailand is one of the very few countries where tourism can exist alongside a state of emergency. Its industry seems untouchable by violence, media reports and travel warnings.

How long the situation remains like that is questionable.