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Myanmar - letting the dust settle
Jaffee Yee - Skål Intl Chiangmai
Armin Schoch, formerly of Diethelm Travel and now of Impulse Travel, talking
recently as guest speaker at the March meeting of Skål International
Chiangmai & North Thailand about the conditions in Burma today, noted that
the country still had a way to go in terms of infrastructure development, as
well as resolving political conflicts such as the Buddhist - Muslim
sectarian violence that has recently erupted.
 Armin
Schoch gives his talk on Myanmar tourism. (Photo by Shana Kongmun)
Armin, who operated tours in Burma during 1994-95, noted the big changes,
including the removal of the requirements for exchanging US$200 into FEC
currency and for using the currency that is just for tourists. Additional
flights and relaxed visa restrictions are among the other changes. However,
he observed that there were still many things that needed to be done,
including the redrafting of the Foreign Investment Law, as well as new tax
and banking laws; he noted that import/export regulations were being
relaxed.
According to Armin, the main issue with travel and tourism in Burma is the
lack of facilities, noting that if someone wanted to stay in a five-star
hotel or take a special cruise, then advance booking of at least a year was
required. Classic destinations such as Pegu are booked to overcapacity. He
said, “I think we will need to wait 3-4 years to tell how the problems will
be addressed and how the government will work with the army. We need to wait
for the dust to settle and get a more normal situation to see where and what
you can get before moving in.”
Armin felt that the opening of Burma would be beneficial to northern
Thailand as land borders open and more direct flights between Chiang Mai and
Burma are added.
He concluded on a note of concern about the increasing disparity between
rich and poor in Burma.
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Dusit Thani Pattaya is second among top 100 hotels in Starway World
Best Hotels Awards held in Moscow
General Manager Chatchawal Supachayanont (8th from
right) holds up the trophy received by Dusit Thani Pattaya after it was
named as the second best hotel among the world’s top 100 hotels in 26
destinations with the highest guest satisfaction in terms of product and
services as well as guest loyalty.
Dusit Thani Pattaya received the recognition during the ‘Starway World
Best Hotels’ Awards held in Moscow and presented by Coral Travel in
recognition of the hard work put forth by international sales agencies,
hotel establishments and airline companies.
Almost 180,000 guest satisfaction questionnaires were distributed among
hotel guests from Russia, Ukraine and other CIS countries, Poland,
Turkey and the Balkans. Responses were collected from 3,991 hotels that
are located all over the 26 world destinations including Turkey, Egypt,
Dominican Republic, Tunisia, Greece, Indonesia, India, Mexico and Spain.
In Thailand, eleven hotels were rated by patrons with five in Pattaya
given a ranking. Organizers of the Starway World Best Hotels
congratulated all the winners and encouraged them to maintain a
consistent level of high quality and standard so that sustainable
success can always be achieved through guest loyalty and satisfaction.
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Thailand announces new Minister
of Tourism
Career politician and former provincial governor Somsak Pureesrisak has been
appointed Minister of Tourism and Sports, effective April 9. He replaces the
late Chumpol Silpa-archa, who passed away last January 2013.
 Somsak
Pureesrisak.
Born 15 November 1951, Somsak is an electrical engineer by training and
holds a Master’s degree in Development Administration. He began his
professional life in 1993 in the Department of Town and Country Planning,
and has risen up the ranks since then. He twice served as Governor of
Suphanburi Province in Central Thailand, the last time between 2006 and
2012. Somsak is also a member of the Chart Pattana Party, which is part of
the coalition government currently in power under Prime Minister Yingluck
Shinawatra.
Somsak visited the Ministry of Tourism and Sports on 5 April 2013 after his
appointment was confirmed by His Majesty the King. After familiarizing
himself with the ongoing ministry activities, Somsak indicated that he would
make visitor safety and security a primary focus of attention.
The policy emphasis was welcomed by TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni.
“Safety and security for visitors is becoming an over-arching area of
importance all through the global travel & tourism industry. We constantly
get questions about this matter at international trade shows, and are very
pleased that the minister has taken up this issue as a matter of priority.
“The TAT looks forward to implementing initiatives from the minister in
further advancing the role of travel and tourism as the country’s largest
service industry and contributor to national socio-economic development.”
(TAT)
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Skål International asks
“What is the tourism industry
doing about human rights?”
Bernhard Wegscheider,
ecretary General, Skål International
Over the past 10 years the travel and tourism industry has embraced the need
to go green; so much so that it is now the norm and not a fad or a unique
selling proposition.
Airlines, wholesalers, hoteliers and tour operators all promote their green
tinge and many are happy to ask their clients to help pay for their carbon
footprint. We are also seeing a growing market sector in volunteer-tourism
where clients pay to work on projects in villages and regions while they are
on holiday.
However, what is the industry doing about another and potentially more
important issue; that of human rights?
Many in the industry are affiliate members of the UNWTO (United National
World Tourism Organization, which is active in promoting programs such as
Tourism and Poverty Alleviation and Protection of Children in Tourism), as
well as other organizations such as ECPAT International or the Grey Man
Project; yet how does the industry turn these into real actions and not just
logos on their letterhead?
During annual contract negotiations, how many companies seek information on
the other company’s human rights policies or the same policies of the
country/region they operate in? Or do they, like many, simply ignore the
issue because it is too hard and potentially a threat to their bottom line?
Skål International, whose 18,000 members make up the world’s largest
organization covering all sectors in the travel and tourism industries,
wants to bring this issue to the fore and make it as important to the
industry today as the green issue was when it first made its appearance 10
years ago.
States Skål International World President Mok Singh, “As an industry we
cannot continue to ignore the plight of men, woman and children, who because
of their sex, race or religious beliefs have their basic human rights abused
and trampled on by governments in countries where international tourism is a
major source of revenue.
“Tourism is one of only of a few industry sectors that continues to see
growth and with this growth comes the need for responsibility -
responsibility to ensure all those involved understand and actively support
basic human rights. We cannot sit back and allow clients to continue to fly
to and visit exclusive resorts and regions where the local peoples are
suppressed by their governments and have little or no basic human rights nor
input into how their tourism industry is run or where the profits go too.”
As an industry we need to ask the hard questions and be upfront with all our
clients and say - “Yes that is a great destination; however, are you aware
of their human rights record?”
Many will say, “That will kill my bottom line. Others won’t follow and my
customers will go elsewhere!”
While this may happen in the short term one can only look at the rise in
fair trade initiatives in the food industry, especially coffee, where there
is a growing and very profitable market segment emerging as many customers
are demanding their daily fix comes from a fair trade organization and are
prepared to pay more for it.
The travel and tourism industry needs to learn from this example and say to
clients, “Yes, that’s a great destination but because of their human rights
record we don’t recommend it - we would like to recommend this destination
which honors their people’s human rights and involves their indigenous
peoples in all matters relating to travel and tourism development.”
To achieve this, the industry as a whole needs to agree on a code of conduct
in terms of human rights and at the same time be very supportive of
initiatives within countries who want to develop better human rights systems
within their tourism sector and borders.
Mok Singh continues, “Skål International, through its global membership,
wants to lead this initiative, and along with interested parties and the
UNWTO, develop a code of conduct on human rights in the travel and tourism
industry. We invite comment from all sectors of the industry, NGOs, and
pressure groups within countries whose human right records are wanting. We
also need to establish a comprehensive list of those countries, regions and
companies who continue to ignore the basic human rights of their peoples and
employees. This list needs to be published for all to see and comment on.
Only then can we truly have an industry that can make a global difference.
“This will take time; however, unless we start now and take the high ground,
it will be our customers who will walk away from us and accuse the industry
of a profit before people stance that will take years to expunge and put the
industry on the defensive and a potential course that will see a substantial
loss of future revenues.”
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