A recent Reuters' report from Reuters that the TAT wants tourists to wear ID wristbands in case they get "lost, drunk, or in trouble" sends a disturbing message. Apparently, hotels have been approached about handing out numbered wristbands to guests and that "tracking devices had also been discussed, as well as assigning tourists a local handler."
Apparently, the murder of two British tourists on Koh Tao a couple of weeks ago is driving these ideas. Do tags and monitoring devices compliment the TAT's plans to promote "Happiness Within" in its 2015 marketing? I don't think so.
Heavy police activity like that just reinforces the fact that the elected Thai government was replaced by the unelected the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).
Looking ahead, the prospects seem good for 2015. In July, MasterCard said Bangkok was still Asia-Pacific's top city for air travel, and is second only to London in their Global Destination Cities Index for 2014. MasterCard's Dr. Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, Global Economic Advisor said, "Bangkok's resilience as a global destination city is one of the big takeaways from the Global Destination Cities Index for 2014." And a recent UNWTO report said that in 2013 Thailand, for the first time, became one of the world's top 10 tourism destinations in visitor numbers and visitor expenditure.
All of that was before the six months of demonstrations and the subsequent military takeover. From the beginning, TAT Governor Thawatchai Arunyik has been supportive of the NCPO, who basically ejected Thailand's elected government back in May and installed their leader, via a rubber stamp parliamentary vote in August, General Prayuth Chan-ocha as the Prime Minster.
To be sure, some of the NCPO initiatives are welcome. They installed computerized taxi lines at Suvarnabhumi Airport that forces drivers to accept a standard set of fares. Most welcome are the regulations regarding Jet Ski operators. There's been a scam going on for some time in which these operators shake Jet Ski renters down for extra cash based on erroneous damages that the operators claim the renters did to the skis. These scams are ugly, potentially violent and have cost victims everything from a few hundred dollars to thousands.
Arunyik said, "The NCPO has ordered that the problem be tackled immediately. The move is one of several measures put in place by the NCPO to help restore the confidence of tourists visiting the kingdom. To bring an end to rip-offs and scams, new regulations will be put in place and more ethical working practices encouraged."
Now operators must have a license, be tied to a permanent address as well as a valid insurance policy. In addition, certified supervisors with first-aid training must be present. Jet Ski operators must now display the service fees as well as terms and conditions. Compliant operators will be issued with a "Merry Elephant" logo by the Department of Tourism to display.
Other rulings included restrictions on food vendors on beaches and on streets. The vendors have been told to move off sidewalks in crowded cities and to move back from the beaches in order to restore the sort of scenic grandeur that beaches are supposed to have. Arunyik has been supportive of the NCPO's tourism moves. His background, after all, was in law enforcement.
TAT Governor has not been an easy assignment for the man who took the job just as the TAT was facing its toughest crisis since the tsunami of 2004. He deserves credit for keeping Thai tourism on course through an interminable political stalemate in Bangkok that was choking movement in the city even as images of chaos were being transmitted around the world. The TAT managed extremely well under the circumstances. Just this week a prominent tour operator said that the company's Thai business is completely restored.
As it heads into 2015, the TAT is stressing a new global tagline, "Amazing Thailand: Happiness Within." That warm serene way the Thai people carry themselves has been battered by the Red Shirt/Blue Shirt/Military Take over conundrum as well as the many western tourists who think that it's OK to leave their moral compasses home when they enter Southeast Asia. It's understandable if Thailand has grown weary of the "anything goes" mentality that some tourists bring with them after watching films like The Beach and Hangover II.
You can't really argue with safety first, but Thailand has always been safe for visitors. There is some crime; of course, there always is wherever human beings choose to gather. My worry now isn't that chaos and disorder will hurt Thai tourism, but that an overly zealous police approach will.
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