Tourism Department Deputy Director-General Kajorn Veerajai said Thailand’s entry into the AEC would bring both good and bad impacts to the tourism industry. This has prompted the Department of Tourism to encourage those involved in the sector to make use of the opportunities provided by the AEC.
However, he said, some sections in the Tourism and Guide Business Act 2008 have made Thai tourism difficult to expand. Such obstacles include restrictions in obtaining permits as tour guides and foreign share holding in local businesses, just to name a few.
Mr Kajorn said that there are not enough tour guides in specialised fields, and no incentives are provided to boost operators in the industry. The Bureau of Tourism and Guide Business Registration Director General Wannasiri Morakul said an amendment to the law needs approvals from stakeholders in the industry.
The Department of Tourism has tasked Burapha University with a job to conduct a comparative study on tourism-related laws in nine other ASEAN countries and use the result in modernising the Thai law.
The Department of Tourism will this year concentrate on exchanging ideas on tourism business practices with other ASEAN nations, after which a bill on Tourism and Guide Businesses will be drafted and is expected to be proposed to a House committee by the end of the year.