Thailand leaves RI behind in tourism stakes

Thai Airways recently invited a number of Indonesian journalists, including The Jakarta Post's Rita A. Widiadana, to take the direct flight from Denpasar to Bangkok as part of its press tour program. The journalists were accompanied by Ni Wayan Witarni of the airline's Denpasar office. The trip, aimed at showing how the country's tourism industry is being promoted, was supported by the Siam Hotel Group and Amari Orchid Resort.

Thailand, like its Southeast Asian neighbors, has gone through a difficult period over the last four years, starting with the World Trade Center tragedy in New York, the second Iraq war, the SARS crisis, avian flu and, most recently, the Indian Ocean tsunami.

The global and regional situation has badly affected the Thai tourism industry -- the country's largest foreign exchange earner with 12 million visitors spending their vacations and cash in the country's top holiday spots every year.

The seemingly endless series of catastrophes has had a major impact on the country's tourism industry. Over many years, Thailand has been working hard to promote and to brand itself as an exotic, natural, charming and exciting holiday destination that offers pristine tropical beaches, coral reefs, historical sites, and rich traditions and culture.

Strong, integrated approach

The perfect combination of high-budget, extensive and integrated regional and international promotional activities, strong government and tourist board support, and the rapid development of world-class tourist facilities and infrastructure has turned Thailand into a hot tourist destination.

The tsunami tragedy, which hit the southern part of Thailand, including the famous Phuket resort (and India's Andaman Islands), has not deterred visitors from returning to the country.

Yuni Prihartini, supervisor of the Thai Airways Office in Denpasar, said that even a day after the tsunami, her office received a number of queries about destinations in Phuket.

Meanwhile, steady numbers of customers have been flying to Bangkok and onward to Pattaya, Chiang Mai and other destinations.

"We just could not believe it, but it really showed that people still wanted to visit Thailand, despite crisis or tragedy," she said, adding that the number of visitors coming to Bali from Thailand had remained stable.

Yuni said that the direct Denpasar-Bangkok route had thus far achieved occupancy rates of at least 70 percent. Thai Airways operates its Denpasar-Bangkok service once a day at 5 p.m., departing from Ngurah Rai International Airport, Kuta.

The flight has opened up the opportunity for tourists to fly directly from Bangkok to Denpasar. "Tourists may go to other destinations in Indonesia via Denpasar or Jakarta," she said.

Witarni added that a lot of European visitors used the Bangkok to Denpasar flight. Japanese visitors who spent time in Thailand frequently used the service to continue their holidays in Bali.

While the tourism industry worldwide has suffered significantly since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., the effect on the Asian tourism industry was moderated by a healthy rise in intra-regional travel.

Asian tourists normally opt for shorter-haul and (perceived to be safer) destinations, and travel has become more affordable for many travelers, especially those from China and Japan.

Well-organized promotion

Some important factors have been significant in boosting Thai tourism.

The Amazing Thailand campaign has been very powerful in boosting the country's tourism image. Advertisements for Thailand appear everywhere in world-class media and publications, tourism expos and many other cultural and business-related activities.

Made Eddy Putra, president of the Denpasar-based Tour East travel agency, shared his experience: "When we (Indonesian travel agents and other tourism-related firms) took part in the recent World Tourism Expo in London, we had to spend money out of our own pockets to sell and to promote Indonesia," he said.

Thai travel agents, on the other hand, receive support from their tourist board and, of course, the government. "That is why Thailand's promotional efforts have always been so successful," he added.

The Thai tourist industry was very responsive in the post- tsunami period. A few days after the tsunami, Bangkok hosted an international film festival featuring high-profile Hollywood, European and Asian artists, directors and other top figures from the world movie industry, including Michael Douglas and Oliver Stone.

Another glamorous event, the MTV Asia awards, replete with world-class acts like Alicia Keys and Linkin Park, undoubtedly attracted attention around the globe -- a highly effective way to support tourism. On top of all this is the country's US$12 million promotional budget.

Yupaporn Thussadeethun, guest relations manager for the Amari Orchid Resort, Pattaya, said that visitors were returning to Thailand.

Pattaya was not affected by the tsunami. "The worst period was during the SARS outbreak, followed by avian flu; we tried to offer attractive tour and holiday packages in order to lure back visitors from overseas," she said.

She added that Pattaya and other destinations, especially in the north of the country, were always packed with tourists.

Her major markets are the European Union, the Scandinavian countries, China, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia and Australia. "We do receive a number of Indonesian tourists as well," she said.

Importance of infrastructure

Choakdee Dhamasaroj, vice president of a Thai telecommunications company, shared his experiences: "Thailand leads in the tourism industry because the country is actively building new infrastructure -- highways, airports, transportation facilities, to make it easier for people to travel," he said.

Bangkok used to be a crowded city; traffic jams were everywhere. Now, people can take the mass rapid transit system or water transportation along the Chao Praya river to avoid the jams.

Visiting Pattaya, for instance, which is around 147 kilometers southeast of Bangkok, is much more comfortable nowadays, with less than a two-hour drive on new highways.

"Indonesia is very beautiful, especially Bali. But as a businessman who frequently goes to Jakarta, I realize that infrastructure development in Indonesia has been very slow. Jakarta is still overcrowded," he said.

"When you want to go to Bandung, West Java, it is quite a nightmare, especially at weekends. A few years ago, the mountain road to Bandung was still nice and beautiful," he said, reminiscing about the time he spent in Indonesia some years ago.

Agung Prana, a former chairman of the Bali chapter of the Association of Indonesian Travel Agents, said Indonesia, Bali in particular, had not invested in road-building and other infrastructure to make life easier for tourists.

"We have a lot of nice hotels and resorts, but we have to also think about supporting infrastructure," he said.

Many lessons can be drawn from the press tour. Efficient and well-organized programs are something that the Indonesian government and airlines should try to emulate to promote Indonesian holiday destinations.

More importantly, we should take a closer look at why Thailand's tourism industry has developed so rapidly, leaving Indonesia far behind.