Dusit International Vice Chairman Chanin Donavanik urged the government to focus on enhancing the quality of tourism and encouraging exploration of lesser-known destinations to boost the industry.
Chanin believes the government’s existing tourism promotion policies, including visa-free schemes and luxury tax reductions, are effective.
Chanin, who also serves as the executive committee’s chairman, highlighted several areas for the authorities to prioritise. These include the improvement of safety and convenience in the tourism sector.
“Thailand should focus on increasing spending rather than counting on volume. More importantly, it should steer them to second-tier cities, the same way Thai tourists are eager to explore new destinations in Japan.”
Chanin stressed the importance of maintaining high standards of service for tourists by accelerating the registration of unregistered hotels and accommodations in the country. The Dusit family’s second-generation member, Chanin stated that Thai tourism has shown robust recovery this year as flights have resumed.
He noted that the growth of hotels in major Thai cities continues due to the strengthening inbound markets from the Middle East, China, Southeast Asia, and South Korea.
The former Thai Hotels Association president also emphasised that the hospitality sector should refrain from engaging in a price war, as it had done in the past, and instead compete through quality service to attract guests. Dusit International plans to reopen its flagship, the Dusit Thani Bangkok Hotel, in September as part of the US$46 billion (approximately 1 trillion baht) mixed-use project, Dusit Central Park.
“Dusit Thani Bangkok aspires to be a destination for both old and young generations that can compete as a home-grown brand on the international stage.”
The group has conducted extensive overseas research on hotel renovations to determine how it can reposition itself against new competitors.
Renovations
The Dusit Thani Bangkok underwent significant renovations in 1980 and 1996, maintaining the same building structure. While the current project represents a significant change, Chanin affirmed that the group is committed to preserving as much of Dusit Thani’s unique character as possible. The new hotel will feature higher-quality facilities and services, including larger room sizes to cater to new demand.
The project is 90% complete with only interior decorations remaining. Before the reconstruction, the Dusit Thani Bangkok Hotel accounted for over 20% of the group’s total revenue, reported Bangkok Post.
With several large projects underway along Rama IV Road and the Silom area, Chanin believes these developments can make Bangkok a more attractive destination, complementing rather than competing with each other.
