Bangkok Post Sept 12, 1998 - Govt told how to boost tourism in the South

BANGKOK POST - September 12 1998

Gov't told how to boost tourism in the South

Tourism business operators in the South will submit a ten-point proposal to the government tomorrow on how to boost tourism in five southernmost provinces.

Hat Yai, Songkhla

A source from the Tourism Authority of Thailand Southern Office said the proposal will be forwarded to Prime Minister's Office Minister Jurin Laksanavisit, by 300 representatives from associations of tourism business operators, hoteliers and guides in the South.

The meeting will focus on tourism policies for Songkhla, Satun, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.

The impacts from Malaysia's radical currency controls on tourism in the South will be a major topic for discussions during the event as most tourism-related income is derived from Malaysian tourists, the source added.

According to the proposal, the Government has been urged to seek to attract more tourists from Malaysia, Singapore, China and Taiwan to the five southernmost provinces through the following means:

to negotiate with Kuala Lumpur for the issue of border passes for Malaysians wanting to visit Thailand;
to allow Thais, Malaysians and Indonesians to travel in the three countries under the Growth Economic Triangle Project using visit cards only;
to set up a unit to issue tourist visas for Taiwanese people at every airport;
to support travel for tourism among Asean countries, especially those under the Growth Economic Triangle Project;
to establish a centre to solve tourism problems around the clock;
to set the standards of tourism service prices;
to ease the influx of tour buses from Malaysia to serve tourists in the South;
to encourage concerned agencies to find out how to attract more Chinese people to visit Thailand;
and to ensure fairness concerning tourism service prices for foreign tourists.

Director of the TAT Southern Office: Region 1 Pichai Raktaling said the office was gathering information to establish impacts from Malaysia's economic changes on tourism in southern border provinces.

He said the number of Malaysian tourists visiting the South in the first two quarters of this year dropped by three percent, compared to the same period last year.