Wait, watch, and listen
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Thailand's elections have come and gone in what seems to be like the blink of an eye.
Or, perhaps my digital clock was stuck in slow-motion mode.
Are the last few years of sleepwalking coming to an end on economic policy and reforms? Or are we in for another round of Michael Jacksonesque moon-walking. Remember those riveting music videos with Jacko sliding seamlessly from side to side?
In my mind’s eye, I remember going to kindergarten and our teacher drilling into our collective minds the concept of crossing the street in order not to be turned into some sort of mashed-up road kill. The slogan has stuck with me all these years – wait, watch and listen – before you cross the street.
Much could be applied to the current state of play in the high echelons of policy-making and promise.
Winning votes often comes down to such a basic metric of give the people what they want.
Unfortunately, this is not always what they necessarily need or what is good for them.
A great debate is brewing between the public and private sectors on the minimum wage, special autonomous regions in the troubled South and a slew of other election promises.
For Phuket, where tourism remains a vital life force for economic prosperity, the issue of Bangkok implementing higher salaries has created considerable hyperinflation.
Hotel owners are seeing returns erode as costs spiral up.
Attracting investment into the property market by foreign investors into the housing market is being hampered by a sharp rise in the cost of living on the island. Where a competitive edge once existed, it is now rapidly evaporating.
Many eyes remain turned on the development of the Mai Khao International Convention and Exhibition Centre, where weeds remain and construction cranes are absent? When will the project actually start, continues to be a rallying cry in hotel business planning circles.
There is no “one size fits all” in business and there remains hope that Yingluck Shinawatra will bring a burst of fresh air into the smoke-filled room of today’s unclear present day.
Perhaps one of the most relevant debates for tourism in the country is the issue of gaming. We’ve seen the impact on Macau and Singapore. Nearby Vietnam has two mega-projects – the MGM on the Ho Tram Strip close to Ho Chi Minh City, and a new joint venture development south of Danang with Malaysia’s Resorts World.
As the face of travel in the world, after the global financial crises, changes and Asians increasingly take the lion’s share of the market, how can the country continue to let both Thais and regional neighbours take their money to nearby gaming countries and not consider a planned and sustainable strategy for the sector?
Mass tourism needs demand-generators and in a country gone mad building hotel rooms over the past five years, there has to be more of a reason to visit than shopping and beaches.
For now, we need to embrace our inner child and patiently wait, watch and listen.
