Don Ross, Editor, Travel Trade Report
Q: What’s it like today to return to work?
It was quite bewildering. First the challenge of getting on with a normal schedule of reporting on travel but at the same time recognising the events of the last two weeks need to be dealt with, understood and perhaps offer some lessons for the future.
Q: What’s the centre of Bangkok like?
The Bangkok centre has been cleaned up in yet another remarkable show of community spirit. People of all walks of life turned out to sweep the streets clean. There are ugly scars, ruins — buildings destroyed, fire scars and uprooted bushes, flowers. Signs of vandalism. But the spirit of Bangkok residents has risen above it and that is a good sign.
Q: How do you feel after the week that was?
I feel that something very precious was taken away, I am disappointed in the simplistic way the international media portrayed Thailand and its people. After 40 years here, it is the saddest week of my life in Thailand and the complexity, the deeper implications are quite baffling. This is not a situation that can be subbed into one paragraph for a newspaper. That tends to put people and political
thought into particular boxes. It gives us some very convenient labels
that lead us to the wrong conclusions.
Q: What do you think lies ahead?
What lies ahead is uncertainty, and the fear that we might all think this is over and that we do not need to engineer reforms. I have always felt that the yellow shirt leaders should have been tried and prosecuted within months of the 2008 closure of airports. I feel the PM let the country down in not achieving reconciliation as promised and not demonstrating that the “rule of law” applied to those who illegally occupied the airports in 2008. If he had stood for justice then, perhaps he would now have the higher moral ground to deal with the red shirt leaders. Now, we all want the red-shirt leaders to suffer, go to jail for the wrongs they have committed. I doubt if the rule of law will be applied and that leaves the door open to the next generation of protesters.
Q: How can confidence in Bangkok as a destination be rebuilt?
Firstly it should start with reconciliatory justice. Something similar to South Africa when all parties yellow or red are brought to trial, tried and sentenced and then FORGIVEN. Across the board justice, forgiveness and close the book on Thailand’s darkest hour since World War II.
Then get on with the job of reform. Take the red shirt observations to heart. Provide free education, free health care and care for seniors – a country that cares for all levels of society.
Do that and you could save billions in PR and advertising. People will return because they will see a country that has learned from its mistakes.
Ignore and the investment in advertising and PR will be wasted as another group of protesters will continue what was started in 2008.
The tourism industry has to get off the fence and have conscience. Lobby for basic changes that put the emphasis on communities, sustainable tourism and by example offer better working conditions for the millions employed in tourism.
Q: What’s your biggest wish?
But my biggest wish is for the people who manage Thailand to wake up to their obligations and for once love this country more than their appetite for wealth and power.
Chananya Phataraprasit, chairman, Asian Oasis
Q: What’s it like today to return to work?
Personally, I was very excited to be back at work, to have my routine back and to see Bangkok recuperating. The roads were less congested because the red shirt’s bunkers were removed and we could enter Rajaprasong area. Silom road was quieter than usual for Monday but I believe things will start to be back to normal within a week. (I work on Wireless and Sliom roads)
Q: What is the centre of Bangkok like?
Roads are cleaned up and life is almost back in full swing. Central World has been barricaded and firemen are still hosing down one section of the building but all is clam. It’s definitely a very sad sight to see but, at the same time, it’s wonderful to see that Rajaprasong area is coming back to life again.
Q: How do you feel after the week that was?
Sad, shocked, hopeful, liberated, driven.
Q: What do you think lies ahead?
People start to realize there are differences in several aspects in Thai society. They have to accept this fact and learn to live together peacefully. It will be a long road before we find a way to reunite the nation. There will be a lot of hard work ahead of us.
Q: How can, confidence in Bangkok as a destination be rebuilt?
The people of Bangkok will be the ones who can bring confidence back. Bangkok people have gone through a number of political disturbances. They are resilient. I believe Bangkok will come back better and stronger.
Q: What’s your biggest wish?
My biggest wish is for all Thais to accept their differences and find a peaceful way to reconciliation. The blood of our people has been shed, let it not be in vain.
Peter Caprez, General Manager, JW Marriott, Bangkok
Q: What’s it like today to return to work?
What a good feeling to drive through the city without detours. It felt like being FREE again. The city was remarkably clean after thousands of volunteers helped the cleaning process yesterday. Traffic was still light, which made the experience even better.
Q: What is the centre of Bangkok like?
It was a bit strange to drive through Rachaprasong this morning after all the attention this intersection received during the past few weeks. The area was clean. Being a long time resident of the city, it breaks your heart to see the gaping hole in the Central World building and the burned out floors. And in Rama 4 Road, the scars of what happened there last week can still be seen.
Q: How do you feel after the week that was?
We only realised on the weekend how tired we were after a very tense and eventful week.
Q: What do you think lies ahead?
We are on the road to recovery as of today, but it will take time to rebuild confidence. The best hope we can have that the winter season 2010/11 will see an upswing again.
Q: How can confidence in Bangkok as a destination be rebuilt?
Keeping the city safe
Q: What’s your biggest wish?
That incidents like last week will never happen again and that the current social divide in the country can be resolved through political means.
Luzi Matzig, CEO, Asian Trails
Q: What’s it like today to return to work?
For myself – nothing special as I came to the office every day while we were closed. As for the staff and managers, they are very glad to be able to return to work after more than one week of absence when they had to work from home.
Q: What is the centre of Bangkok like?
I went on a survey late Sunday afternoon by which time practically ALL inner city roads had been cleared of debris, mostly thanks to 4’000-plus volunteers who had come to help the Bangkok Metropolis workers to clean up the city center.
Q: How do you feel after the week that was?
I feel relieved that the situation came to an end, even though I believe the government could have handled it much more diplomatically, with less use of force and resulting loss of many innocent lives.
Q: What do you think lies ahead?
What should lie ahead is a period of talks between the Government and the various Red Shirt sections trying to come to an agreement of where we should go in the future. The big question is of course whether the authorities and people in charge will really LISTEN to the many justified demands and arguments of their opponents, or whether they will continue to pay lip service only to these issues and continue in their set ways. Time will tell.
Q: How can confidence in Bangkok as a destination be rebuilt?
Now that we have peace again in Bangkok, efforts must be made firstly to convince the many foreign governments to change their travel advisories back to NORMAL. Once this is done we can start with special promotions, fam trips, inspection trips for the Media etc. and slowly but surely get back to normal.
Q: What’s your biggest wish?
My wish would be that the many people in Thailand who see the Red Shirts as their (class) enemies give the whole situation some more thought and open their minds to the many justified causes brought forward by the demonstrators. Many of these issues need urgent action and implementation. The most important task is for the Government to prove that they are willing to apply the same rules and standards of justice to ALL Thais and to stop giving preferential treatment to the Ruling Elite, to the Yellow Shirts, to the people connected to the military etc. etc. There is yet hope!
Andrew Wood, General Manager, Chaophya Park Hotel, Bangkok
Q: What’s it like today to return to work?
We never stopped working during the crisis, we were fortunate not to be too
much on the red shirts’ radar although they did march in front of the hotel on their tour of Bangkok. It has been devastating to all businesses linked directly or indirectly with tourism but I am so thankful that all my team are safe and that we suffered no damage to property or assts and that we are open for business.
This morning I am so upbeat even though my four hotel neighbours and I were only able to sell (occupied rooms) 178 rooms out of a total of 2303 rooms in total. One of the hotels recorded zero (closed) and another 600 bedroom hotel sold just 18 rooms last night.
Q: What is the centre of Bangkok like?
I haven’t been but pictures in the Bangkok Post show a super clean up operation taking place with students and volunteers who had set up a Facebook campaign that culminated in 4,000 people gathering at Lumpini on Sunday. Social networks at their best!!
Q: How do you feel after the week that was?
A week of colours ranging from black red and yellow and a range of
emotions from despair, extreme sadness to hope.
Q: What do you think lies ahead?
A time to rebuild!!! Both hearts and minds and Thailand’s market share. But it will take time. This has been Thailand’s worst nightmare, nothing comes close, it was longer and more devasting that anything we have dealt with before, whether airport closure; SARS; bird flu, the ASEAN debacle in Pattaya or even last year’s Songkran riots.
But through them all we came and we will again, but this time our recovery plans need to be smart, compassionate and timely. Lets focus on what has never changed and focus on rebuilding trust with Thailand’s business partners in our prime feeder markets. At the same time at local level, lets have Thai for Thai Holiday campaign. My local MICE market, including government meetings and weddings, are likely to be back by this weekend as soon as the curfew is lifted. I am VERY optimistic.
Q: What’s your biggest wish?
That all Thais will once again love all Thais.
Featured image credit (Urban City Skyline, Bangkok, Thailand): Ockra/iStock
