Tourism Minister Needed to Drive Key Economic Engine in Thailand.

Byline: Nikhil B. Srinivasan

Nov. 8--Thailand is very good at tourism. In fact, arguably, it is among the best countries in the world at tourism. Not only that, tourism has actually helped develop the economy and the country.

The current government has finally acknowledged the importance of tourism to the economy. Some of the 58-billion-baht fiscal stimulus budget is supposed to go to tourism projects.

All this is good. But more is needed. The country needs a full-time minister for tourism.

Several arguments could be made to support the comment. But, the best and most straightforward argument for such a position relates to the economy -- tourism revenues make up 4 percent of Thailand's GDP in net terms (and 6 percent in gross terms). And we need to ensure that this crucial part of our economy keeps growing.

But that may be difficult. A significant drop in visitors over the next few months may be unlikely but not impossible. More than 50 percent of visitors currently come from Asia, which is generally experiencing its most serious economic slowdown since 1997. And other Asian countries, despite any internal issues, will not sit still. In an interview last week, the Malaysian prime minister reiterated the importance of tourism for his country.

So, what would Thailand's minister for tourism actually do? Co-ordinate all aspects of a tourism strategy to ensure continued strong growth in visitors and tourism revenue.