CP’s big boss urges govt to court rich investors for post-Covid era

In an online talk entitled “Top CEO’s Vision for Business Crisis”, the senior chairman of Charoen Pokphand Group (CP) said that the crisis has improved Thailand online activities, especially in terms of education.
He said working online gave people enough freedom to go travelling and spending time with their family. Dhanin also said that once the Covid-19 crisis is resolved, global travel will start again, and Thailand can attract more travellers not just because it’s a world-class destination but also because it has been very successful in tackling the virus.
In order to attract well-heeled travellers, he said the government should ensure that the health services provided are good by improving the quality of both private and state hospitals. Medical schools should also produce qualified people, who are paid well. If people in the medical field are paid well, then top-class research work and medicine development will come naturally, he added.
The tycoon also added that the arrival of rich tourists will attract more investment, and this will create more jobs for the local people.
“Under this possibility, new graduates will not have to worry about being unemployed. In fact, there may not be enough workers to feed the market,” he said.
Thailand, he concluded, could very well become the hub of global economy as well as a hub for tourism and public health. The government must plan more investment in infrastructure and improve the law that currently obstruct foreign investment.
Separately, the government is launching a new measure to boost the confidence of domestic and international travellers in the post-Covid era called “Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration”. This campaign aims to lift the industry’s standards by issuing safety certificates for businesses in the tourism sector.

Meanwhile, the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Dasta) is spending Bt5 million to help reboot the tourism sector in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).
Thaweepong Wichaidit, Dasta’s director-general, said the EEC will be the first zone to recover after the crisis is over, because it is near Bangkok and convenient to get to.
Hence, the agency plans to promote hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions in the region in line with the Amazing Thailand Safety & Health Administration campaign. The agency also plans to reskill people in the tourism sector who have been affected by the Covid-19 crisis.
The East of the country has 12 tourism communities, and the agency wants to expand this number by five or 10 a year, Thaweepong said, adding that at least 20 communities should be ready to serve the tourism sector once the country opens again.