PATA tourism careers forum flags the perils and promises awaiting Gen Z
ON 18 March 2024, more than 1,500 university students of tourism, including about 700 onsite and another 800 online, attended a half-day forum organised by the PATA Thailand chapter and Bangkok University to “Fast Forward” their careers. It ended with a round of self-congratulatory applause and predictions of a bright future. But a closer […]
Read MoreFeature: Thai air force’s fighter choices – why pay more?
By Out-Crowd GIVEN TODAY’S ECONOMIC circumstances which are quite far from concrete recovery, Thailand would be best suited with a planned procurement of cost-saving, upgraded combat aircraft in lieu of state-of-the-art, air-supremacy ones whilst a human factor should also be taken into account, according to a former fighter pilot. Anudit Nakorntap, the former air […]
Read MorePM leads “Peace Through Tourism” visit to South Thailand
“WHEN the people have money in their pockets, they will forget about their conflicts.” That simple rationale summarised the core objective of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s historic “Peace Through Tourism” visit to the kingdom’s southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat between Feb.27-29. Under the slogan “Travel to the South — With All Your […]
Read MoreTourism tops agenda of Prime Minister’s Feb. 27-29 visit to the South
PRIME MINISTER Srettha Thavisin has embarked on a three-day visit to the three Muslim-majority provinces of South Thailand, specifically to promote tourism. The trip will include a range of social, cultural and economic activities designed to highlight the growth potential of Narathiwat and Yala, which share a direct land border with Malaysia, and Pattani, […]
Read MoreSDGs will fail to meet 2030 target, but travel & tourism can still be a big help
THE “unfavourable global context” has rendered the 2030 target for the UN Sustainable Development Goals unachievable, according to a UN report. Although considerable progress has been made across all the 17 goals, it is “uneven and inadequate” across countries and categories, and will not be fully achieved until 2062. The progress report was released […]
Read MoreThai travel industry urged to reduce usage of US$ for doing business
THE Thai travel & tourism industry has been warned about using the US dollar for business transactions and urged to use the currencies of the countries with which they are doing business. In a landmark lecture at this year’s joint meeting of the Association of Thai Travel Agents and the Thai Hotels Association on […]
Read MoreUN report exposes dark underbelly of the seafood business
PRAWN cocktails and pan-fried salmon with warm tartar sauce are popular items on restaurant menus. But a damning report published by the United Nations this week has exposed the dark reality behind those mouth-watering delicacies. The environmental damage caused by overfishing, poor working conditions of the fishermen/women, the distortions of world trade are among […]
Read MoreThreat of overtourism returns as Thailand, China sign total visa-free travel deal, as of March 1
THAILAND and China have signed an agreement for the citizens of the two countries to get totally visa-free access, as of March 1, 2024. The move will set off a renewed boom in Chinese visitors and help the kingdom exceed its original arrival targets for 2024 beyond eight million for Chinese nationals and 35 […]
Read MoreHuman Rights Watch report flags how dying rule of law will hit travel & tourism
THE annual Human Rights Watch report for 2024, released last week, has flagged the next big threats facing global travel & tourism: The slow boiling-frog death of the rule of law, human rights, freedom, privacy, democracy as well as the right to protest, debate and dissent. For the first time, the HRW report refers […]
Read MoreThai tourism agencies get huge budget boost for post-Covid recovery
LED by a record 60% increase in the 2023/24 fiscal year budget of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Thai government is positioning the tourism industry as “the primary engine of economic growth” this year. However, those hopes are likely to be dashed in the event of a wider conflict in the Middle […]
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