Hotelier group talks up quality as Phuket’s long-term edge

The group consists of more than 61 hotel members, representing more than 9,000 rooms, and is an initiative by a pioneering collection of Thai and expatriate hoteliers on the island.
The group is advised by Wichit Na Ranong, former president of the Thailand Tourism Council and owner of The Slate Phuket resort, formerly known as Indigo Pearl.
“Thailand’s tourism industry has undergone a period of extraordinary growth and it is time to take a step back, consolidate and position and plan for the future,” Wichit said. 
The government has allocated a huge amount of money to improve the island’s infrastructure including an airport expansion, a smart-city project, cruise and marina developments, and land transportation. 
“Tourism has been good to Phuket and we now need to ensure we are reinvesting through environmental and educational programmes to ensure benefits and advantages are spread. ‘Brand Phuket’ encapsulates all of these areas and will help to position the destination for the future,” he said. 
Anthony Lark, general manager at Trisara resort on the island and PHA president, said the association would offer best practices and support community initiatives in order to improve the tourism sector in Phuket.
David Keen, chief executive officer of QUO, a company specialising in communications and branding for the hotel and travel industries, said Phuket was one of the greatest tropical destinations and offered a remarkable panoply of attractions. 
He said it was critical that the island’s amazing attractions were harnessed under one umbrella. 
“We have formed a memorable identity that will bring distinction, a better cultural understanding, and we hope stronger desire for the destination,” he said.
At the annual Thailand Tourism Forum yesterday, more than 500 hotel-industry professionals gathered in Bangkok to discuss the most important issues facing the country’s tourism sector.
Despite significant global challenges, tourism in Thailand continues to show impressive resilience, with arrival numbers set to exceed 30 million this year. Industry observers say increased airlift and expanded infrastructure in Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui and Chiang Mai all serve as strong enablers for growth, while an ability to adapt to ever-evolving visitor needs and expectations continues to allow Thailand’s tourism markets to thrive, even in the face of a rapidly changing global travel market. 
Even with a positive outlook, Thailand faces significant challenges and strong competition from other countries in Southeast Asia and hotels across the Kingdom are continually faced with the task of reaching respectable levels of average daily room rates while also maintaining respectable revenue per available room, experts say. 
Tourism-dependent businesses are forced to re-invent repeatedly themselves in order to stay relevant, not only to visitors’ changing travel aspirations, but also to the expectations of visitors from an ever-widening range of cultures and source markets.
Bill Barnett, managing director of C9 Hotelworks, said: “New faces from new places demand new business models that will breathe life into the Thailand tourism industry. The ‘Chinafication’ of Thai tourism means that Chinese visitors have become the oxygen for growth. 
“And with a rise in independent, wealthy travellers, it’s time for the industry to look beyond the tour groups and refine its approach to all the key Asian source markets.”