Leonid Darhovski

The Tourist Office of Thailand (TAT) celebrates its 50^th anniversary of foundation on March 18th, the organization was created to promote Thailand international tourist market actively. During this time, the Kingdom has become not only one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, but also has attracted the attention of businessmen interested in the development of business cooperation with this country. Mr. Suraphon Svetasreni, Chairman of TAT, told “BB” what opportunities the country provides to its guests today

Since the 1970s there is a marked economic recovery in your country, and the development of tourism has played a significant role in it. Thanks to the efforts of the Tourist Office of Thailand the number of guests of the Kingdom increases invariably. What benefits of holiday in Thailand could you note?

Our country is distinguished by its rich culture and hospitality of its inhabitants, which provide Thailand with popularity among foreign tourists. However, this would not be enough to turn the country into one of the most popular recreation places. Under this policy we have made a special accent on the widest range of offers and services. Visitors can choose any accommodation options, from luxurious villas to budget hotels, get the widest range of tourist services. We offer not only beaches, but also environmental, extreme and medical tourism, different cultural programs, shopping tours, sports entertainment and vivid national festivals. Comprehensive transportation infrastructure of Thailand makes moving around the country easy and enjoyable, and allows you to view a large number of sights in a short time.

Our new advertising campaign has the slogan “Amazing Thailand, Amazing Value”. We show that we can offer our guests a terrific rest at the best price. The correctness of the policy and its implementation success is confirmed by the poll of 5 thousand tourists, conducted by CNN in May 2009: by its results Thailand was recognized as the best place of recreation in the Asian-Pacific region on integrated indicator of price and quality of services provided.

Tourism is one of the main but not the only sector of Thailand’s economy, which supports its growth. Development of what industries do you think most prior and promising at present?

Our Government has made a bid to build infrastructure in accordance with international standards. Creation of modern industrial complexes, logistics systems, development of transport and communications — all these give you the ability to conduct business with the least expense. The Government has the intention of considerable improvement of national infrastructure. This concept includes the development of a diversified transport system which will bring together all road, water and railway network in the country.

Are there enough local resources in the country for realization of the plan or are you planning to attract actively foreign investment? What segments of the national market are of most interest to investors?

Thailand offers a lot of opportunities for all companies which are looking for new ways of business development. In 2009, the Government had developed a set of measures to promote companies investing in six major sectors of economy: energy conservation and alternative resources, high technology, production of environmentally friendly products and materials, large-scale projects, high technologies in agriculture and, of course, tourism and real estate. To make optimal use of existing free trade agreements with other countries, Thailand currently increases the efficiency of the internal and international trade through the introduction of electronic systems: one stop centers, stations of joint sample control, e-commerce and e-logistics. The key industrial sectors of Thailand grow continuously. Today we are the world's largest manufacturer of hard drives for computers, natural rubber. The country occupies the 12th place in car production, the 18th in the number of tourists and the 19th in the volume of solvent demand.

Recently, the Government of Thailand has confirmed their intention to provide more support for trade and investment associations significantly loosening operating restrictions for them.

Which sectors or projects receive the largest volume of foreign investment? Which countries hold the leadership in Thailand on quantity of investments? How great is the participation of Russian investors?

According to the data for the year 2008, foreign investors were above all attracted by such industries as the production of agricultural products, mineral resources, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and metallurgy. In terms of investments into the  economy of Thailand, companies from the USA, Japan, China, South Korea and Australia are leading. Russia and Thailand have more than 50-year successful history of trade and economic relations. Until recently, economic ties between our countries were built on the basis of the provisions of the trade agreement signed on 25 December, 1970. This document does not, of course, reflect contemporary realities, so negotiations on a new intergovernmental trade treaty are being held. Today, Russia is the main partner of Thailand among all the countries of Eastern Europe and the CIS, and Thailand is the leader on the volume of trade with Russia among the states of South-East Asia.

What projects can you offer to businessmen from Russia?

Currently, the largest proportion in foreign trade relations of our countries belongs to export-import operations. Russia buys in Thailand a wide range of products, including sugar, TV sets, fruits, rice, rubber, jewelry. In turn, our country gets ferrous metals, fertilizers, precious stones, paper products, rubber and leather.

Don't forget about such a significant sector for our economy, as tourism. Thai hospitality industry is desperately interested in Russian investors, primarily, of course, related to the construction of new hotels. Recently we have registered a steady increase in demand of Russian citizens to buy real estate.

For a person coming to a foreign country on business or pleasure, it is extremely important to be confident in his security. What do you do to make the stay for foreign guests as comfortable as possible in Thailand?

Tourism is a major source of income of Thailand and it provides approximately 6% of its GDP. In 2008, the country was visited by 14.54 million foreign tourists. Of course, their safety is one of the most important priorities for the authorities of the country. In the first place the responsibility lies with the tourist police, its phones are published in all directories and guidebooks of Thailand. In each region of Thailand there are offices of the Tourist Office of Thailand which pay great attention to ensure a comfortable stay of our guests in the country. Recently, we have created an Internet call-center that works around the clock from October 1^st, 2009. Its main task is not only to help visitors coming to Thailand to get up-to-date information about the best way to organize their vacations, but also to establish feedback, learn about their wishes and problems that have occurred during their holiday.