On the first flight out, for my return to Singapore, I went to the information counter at the airport to check if there were earlier flights I could catch due to a personal emergency.
The woman sitting at the counter was reading her book. When I said, “Excuse me”, she looked up at me and literally tutted her lips in irritation. Obviously I had interrupted a very good book.
I explained my situation, saying I had an emergency and wanted to check what flights were available to Singapore. She glared at me, and said, “Wait. Wait.”
She then picked up a book, turned to a page, pointed at a section with a well-manicured nail, handed me the book and said, “There.” She then returned to her book.
Obviously she wasn’t having a good day and neither was I.
On the return trip yesterday, there was a queue to join the immigration queue. The queue was so long it snaked around twice and there was a woman with a loud-hailer, screaming at us to fill up our immigration cards. At least I think that’s what she said or perhaps she was telling us to be patient.
In all my flights out of Bangkok, I had never experienced this before. On the glass door is a sign saying “24 minutes” and words that said, “Commitment to service and providing greater security.” I am not sure what the 24 minutes meant but it took 30 minutes get to my turn at the desk.
Feeling sorry for the immigration officer who looked as tired as I felt, I said, to make conversation, “You are very busy today.”
He shook his head and sighed, “Everyday.”
Last week, I was attending the UFI Asia Pacific Seminar. UFI is the Global Association of Exhibition Organisers. One topic that came up was how to get international conferences and exhibitions to return to Thailand. (By the way, because I was a speaker, I was given the VIP treatment – someone met me at the gate and took me through immigration and customs, wish that could happen everytime.)
Organisers are still nervous about committing their events to Bangkok this year just in case political unrest rears its ugly head again. Look at the IATA annual general meeting that was due to be held in Cairo on June 5-7 and now will move to Singapore – organisers hate disruptions because they are costly and a strain on resources.
The political situation though is something the tourism industry cannot control nor guarantee. But what it can do however is ensure high service standards and that the Land of Smiles holds true to its promise.
The best thing that happened to Hong Kong’s service standards was the SARS crisis of 2003. It shook the tourism and retail sector to its core and service quality has not looked back since in the territory.
In Bangkok, I have noticed a slip in service standards in many places in recent months – from shops to restaurants. At Vanilla, a café in Thonglor, a staff was actually killing mosquitoes with his “electric buzzer” while we were seated and drinking coffee in the establishment. I jumped everytime he zapped.
ith social media today, there is very little forgiveness for rudeness and poor service. Look at designer John Galliano and his subsequent sacking by Dior for his anti-Semitic tirade caught on YouTube. (I took a photo of the 24 minutes sign and posted it on my Facebook immediately.)
So I reckon the best thing the Thailand Exhibition & Convention Bureau (TCEB) can do to bring big business events back to Thailand is work on the basics so that when confidence returns, everything will be in place to make the Land of Smiles the place we all know and love.
