Veterans vie for presidency of travel agents body
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TWO industry veterans are set to vie for the presidency of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, which groups outbound operators.
Charoen Wangananont, a former president of the Association of Domestic Travel (ADT) and ex-leader of the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA), an outbound trade organisation, will lead a team to battle for the top post at one of country’s key tourism bodies. He now serves as its secretary-general.
Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, the incumbent, who was the former president of the Thai Chinese Tourism Business Association, plans to run a campaign to keep his seat.
The election for a four-year term is set for March 31.
Sisdivachr said he has been keen on the inbound tourism business for years and was the key person helping to build the China market to become the biggest source of arrivals over the past few years.
“My plan is to continue promoting Thailand overseas to reclaim tourists. Another mission is to lead the private sector to work with the government to develop the tourism business,” he said.
His marketing strategy would target the globe, not only Asia or China. He will also seek quality tourists from mainland China to boost spending per head.
Charoen said several marketing missions have been planned, including a series of roadshows to foreign countries to provide business matching opportunities with local operators.
The missions would also search for new markets, especially from Southeast Asia.
His agenda includes transparency management, the information technology system, which needs improvement, and cooperation with government bodies.
“Although I have been running an outbound business, I have been involved in tourism work for more than 30 years. That should help me understand tourism problems as well as how to develop the entire industry,” he said.
This year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand targets a 13-per-cent increase in international arrivals to 28 million and a 16-per-cent increase in revenue from them to Bt1.35 trillion.
A new study conducted by the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s Thailand Chapter found that tourism demand could reach 50 million arrivals in four years or before the end of the decade, up from 24.8 million visitors last year.
However, PATA has questioned whether the country could ensure the best quality or safety for such a huge number of visitors.
