Roi-Et born Yuthasak Supasorn, the Tourism Authority of Thailand's (TAT) newly appointed governor, is always up for a challenge. Ever since taking up the coveted position two months ago, the 49-year-old's has made himself accessible to the TAT staff via the chat application LINE so as to get better acquainted with the work force and assist in areas which need his attention.
"On my first day at work, I added all 200 of the TAT staff on my LINE app," remarked Yuthasak, who has worked at management level in such organisations as MCOT, Minister of Industry and Board of Investment (BOI), National Food Institute (NFI) and more.
"I kill two birds with one stone, because by doing this I keep up with work-related issues, as well as with how everyone is doing. My working style is such that I put a lot of emphasis on team work, which I believe falls at the heart of every success story. TAT has a fantastic team, it is one of my goals to gain their confidence and acceptance and that of the agencies that we work with."
Yuthasak also brings with him a solid two decades of work experience in the private sector, which he is confident will eventually work to his advantage as governor.
As he has had limited experience in the tourism sector, his appointment did raise a number of eyebrows initially. However, this has not dampened his enthusiasm to prove his worth as he explains: "I have worked at top management level at a number of organisations, where I picked up skills in promotions and investment. I did closely work with TAT when I was promoting the 'Kitchen of the World' project. which promotes the Thai food industry and Thai investment abroad, so it isn't as if I have no experience in tourism. I have plenty of experience in promotional schemes which is a major part of what TAT does as a marketing arm.
"My short term goal is to make our organisation a key driver for the Thai economy, which is in the doldrums. Tourism is the only engine that is driving our economy, so I would like to keep that momentum going.
"Next year, we will focus on the revenue generated by tourists rather than the numbers of tourists. To help us generate income we will be promoting Thailand as a quality leisure destination. In this way, we will be focusing on quality tourists, who stay longer and spend more. Luxury travellers and tourists who visit for willingness and wedding purposes mostly stay for two weeks and spend 4,000 baht a day. We will concentrate on groups like this and look for how we can increase their spending. Two ongoing TAT programmes that should address this are the 12 hidden gems and 12 hidden gems plus projects, both of which are aimed at discovering the lesser known tourist spots within the country. We also have tourist facilities along the routes to make the journey comfortable and enjoyable."
Yuthasak said it was high time tourists visited lesser frequented provinces that are located a hop, skip and jump from popular tourist destinations such as Chiang Mai, Phuket and Pattaya, to name a few. Surin, Buri Ram, Lampang and Lamphun are just a few provinces among a long list which are being promoted for their culture, cuisine and people.
His long term goal includes tourism sustainability, which he defines as something that gets better with time. He hopes that the people who will gain the most from this will be the local communities.
Promoting income distribution in local communities is a government policy which he supports wholeheartedly because it helps people to improve local trade and invest further in tourism. Yuthasak said tourist revenue should eventually reach a stage where people living at the grass root levels will also benefit from it.
The 12 hidden gems and 12 hidden gems plus projects enable greater domestic income distribution as locals get the opportunity to sell their produce to tourists. Yuthasak said along the routes linking one province to the next they have set up road side stations where, among other things, tourist can purchase all types of local items, be it agricultural products to arts and crafts and local delicacies. A government budget of 148 million baht was apportioned for these facilities to promote tourism.
To succeed in TAT's endeavours to reach both their long and short time goals and prevent future failures, governor Yuthasak said it is pivotal that everyone in the tourism industry co-operates and works together with the one aim of making tourism sustainable in Thailand.
"Sustaining tourism is equivalent to sustaining our environment and offering local communities a future to look toward. To accomplish this, we have to work like they do in an orchestra. Each participant has a role to play which contributes to how well we reach the goal," he said.
Yuthasak also hopes to encourage teens and young adults to travel more to further broaden their knowledge of sustainable tourism.
"I have an idea for a project titled 'Tourism For Education', which would entail students travelling to a destination to get grades. Children can learn a lot from experiencing nature up close. It is important that we make it mandatory for them to travel on excursions which can teach them about responsible tourism, green tourism and more. Learning by watching and feeling is more lasting and memorable than learning through reading a book," he said.
