以旅遊政策建立城市品牌: 曼谷和新加坡 - 政大學術集成

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(1)International Master’s Program in International Studies National Chengchi University 國立政治大學國際研究英語碩士學位學程. 治政大 City Branding through Tourism Policy : 立 ‧ 國. 學. Bangkok and Singapore ‧. 以旅遊政策建立城市品牌: 曼谷和新加坡 n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. WATSAMON KOSAWIWAT 許美燕 Advisor: Kwei-Bo Huang, PhD.. June, 2019. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(2) Abstract After the integration of ASEAN Economic Community, the Southeast Asia becomes a remarkable and potential region. Thailand and Singapore are leaders of tourism development due to their reputation among other countries in this region. Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand and also the most important tourism destination. Both Bangkok and Singapore experienced rapid growth of tourism arrivals after their government started to promote them as tourist destinations. Through many decades, Bangkok and Singapore tourism growth get affected by internal and external factors but they still maintain the position of top destinations in the world and keep. 治政 Bangkok and Singapore from 2008 to 2018; how do the government’s policies form the city 大立 and branding work to uphold or hinder both cities’ branding and how do those policies. growing as quality destinations. This thesis studies about tourism policy and city branding of. ‧ 國. 學. reputation? It adopts the three levels of analysis to analyze the result from two methodologies: document analysis and interview. The result from studying official documents, news, law and. ‧. interviewing with five Taiwanese tourists who had experienced traveling to both cities shows that Bangkok and Singapore do not use only one method of policymaking or marketing planning. Nat. sit. y. but they applied both methods together. Also, the tourist attraction is an essential factor to invite. er. io. tourists to the city but it cannot promote itself without a good branding campaign neither can preserve itself without an appropriate policy. Therefore, it can conclude that the success stories. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. behind Bangkok and Singapore are strong planning from the policymaking of the government to. engchi. the marketing planning of the destination marketing organizations and the practice of stakeholders.. a. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(3) 摘要在東南亞國家協會 (ASEAN) 經濟共同體整合後，東南亞地區成為受人注目與富含潛力之地區。泰國與新加坡的好名聲，使他們成為此地區的國家中，觀光發展之領先者。曼谷是泰國首都亦是最重要的觀光景點。在政府開始宣傳觀光後，曼谷與新加坡都經歷了觀光人數的快速成長。經過了數十年，曼谷與新加坡觀光成長持續受到內部與外部因素影響仍然保有世界頂尖觀光地點的頭銜，並持續以高品質觀光地點成長中。本論文探討2008至2018 年間, 曼谷與新加坡的觀光政策與城市品牌的建立；政府的政策如何塑造城市品牌以及這些政策與品牌的建立如何幫助與妨礙兩個城市的名聲。本論文從文件分析與訪談的結果進. 治政 (Marketing Planning) 其中之一，而是一起採用。並且，雖然觀光吸引力是邀請觀光客來城大立市觀光的要素，但如果沒有好的品牌活動 (Branding Campaign) 就無法進行推廣，沒有與. 行三階層分析。結果顯示，曼谷與新加坡並非只採用政策決策 (Policymaking) 或市場計劃. ‧ 國. 學. 適當的政策，也無法保持下去。因此，曼谷與新加坡的成功可歸因於政府優秀的政策決策、目標市場組織的市場規劃與每位關係人的活動實踐。. ‧. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. b. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(4) Table of Contents Chapter I - Introduction. 1. Research Background. 1. Research Framework. 4. Research Purpose and Questions. 4. Methodology. 5. Chapter II - Literature Review. 6. City Branding: Definition and City Branding in Tourism. 7. Destination Marketing. 9. Bangkok Tourism Industry. 10. Singapore Tourism Industry 政治大 Chapter III - Bangkok’s City Branding Policy 立 National Level. ‧ 國. NGOs Level. 17 21. 學. The National Tourism Development Plan Local Level. 12. 39 43. ‧. Revealing Bangkok’s Public Image. y. Nat. Chapter IV - Singapore’s City Branding Policy. sit. National & Local Level. n. a image Revealing of Singapore’s public l C h Chapter V - Conclusion. er. io. Tourism Industry Conference Discussion Paper 2013 NGOs Level. 24. engchi. Bibliography. i n U. v. 47 49 52 53 60 61 64 68. Thai Reference. 74. Appendix. 77. c. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(5) List of Figures Figure 1. Number of International Tourism Arrivals to Thailand and Singapore from 1995 to 2017 (P.16). Figure 2. International Visitors in Bangkok and Other Provinces in Thailand from 2012 to 2016 (%) (P.17). Figure 3. Thai and International Visitors in Thailand, Bangkok, and Nearby Provinces from 2012 to. 立. Figure 4. ‧ 國. ‧. 2017 (Million Baht) (P.19). Bangkok International Tourism Receipts per. y. sit. al. er. Capita Expenditure per Day 2010 - 2017 (P.20) Organization Chart of the Bangkok Metropolitan. n. Figure 8. Bangkok International Tourism Receipts 2010 -. io. Figure 7. 2017 (P.19). Nat. Figure 6. Bangkok International Visitor Arrivals 2010 -. 學. Figure 5. 治(%) (P.18) 政 2016 大. Ch. i n U. v. Administration 2018 (P.40). engchi. Singapore International Visitor Arrivals 2008 2017 (P.49). Figure 9. Singapore International Tourism Receipts (Million SGD) 2008 - 2017 (P.50). Figure 10. Singapore International Tourism Receipts per Capita Expenditure 2008 - 2017 (P.50). d. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(6) List of Tables Table 1. Important Events of Thailand Tourism Branding by Years (P. 14). Table 2. Important Events of Singapore Tourism Branding by Years (P. 15). Table 3. Bangkok International Tourism Average Length of Stay 2010 - 2017 (P. 20). Table 4. 立. ‧ 國. Development Plan 2017 - 2021 (P. 33). Divisions (P. 42). sit. Interview Result About Bangkok’s Public Image (P. 48). n. al. Ch. er. io. Table 8. y. Number of CSTD Personnel Classified by. Nat. Table 7. Based on Information from the National Tourism. ‧. Table 6. SWOT Analysis of Thailand Tourism Industry. 學. Table 5. 治 Analysis of Thailand Tourism Industry 政 SWOT 2012 - 2016大 (P. 25). iv n International Tourism Average Length e n gSingapore chi U of Stay 2008 - 2017 (P. 51). Table 9. Interview Result About Singapore’s public image (P. 63). e. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(7) List of Important Acronyms ASA. Association of Singapore Attractions. ASEAN. Association of Southeast Asian Nations. BMA. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. BMTA. Bangkok Mass Transit Authority. BRIC. Brazil, Russia, India, and China. CSTD. 治 Sport, and Tourism Department of 政 Culture, 大 Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. 立. Foreign Direct Investment. of Singapore. n. al. sit. Ministry of Communications and Information. er. io. MICE. y. Nat. MCI. Singapore Economic Development Board. ‧. FDI. ‧ 國. EDB. Destination Marketing Organization. 學. DMO. Ch. iv n U Exhibition while travelling e n gIncentive, c h i Convention, Travellers who have purposes of Meeting,. MTI. Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore. NATAS. National Association of Travel Agents Singapore Non-governmental organization. NGO. f. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(8) PATA. Pacific Asia Travel Association. PD. Public Diplomacy. STB. Singapore Tourism Board. STPB. Singapore Tourist Promotion Board. TAT. Tourism Authority of Thailand. TIC. 立. TOT. ‧ 國. Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index by the World Economic Forum. ‧. Traffic and Transportation Department of. y. Nat. io. sit. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. n. al. er. TTD. Tourist Organization of Thailand. 學. TTCI. 治 Intelligence Center of Tourism Authority 政 Tourism of Thailand 大. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. g. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(9) 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(10) Chapter I - Introduction Research Background What do we think of when talking about New York, London, or Tokyo? All of those cities are far away from each other, one might even say they are worlds apart but undeniably, we see them as examples of urbanization, development, and bastions of civilization. New York, the Big Apple, conjures an image of great integration of races and cultures, the amazing Statue of. 治政 spectacularly with the modern London Eye Ferris wheel. It大 is a place where one can expect to 立afternoon tea and pubs to enjoy a cold beer in equal measure. find some tea rooms to enjoy the Liberty, and the majestic Brooklyn Bridge. London comes with the classic Big Ben contrasting. ‧ 國. 學. Tokyo comes with the Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Skytree, as well as images of outstanding colorful fashion, delicious ramen, and sushi, and the very sophisticated metro system.. ‧. How do we get these ideas? If we consider Juba from South Sudan or Ashgabat from Turkmenistan, do they conjure the same images? Likely not, unless you live there yourself. It is. Nat. sit. y. this difference that brings us to the issue of Place Branding.. er. io. In the present day, Place Branding becomes more important to the conduct of Public Diplomacy. Its influence on the audiences' perceptions about specific places have been proven.. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. Thus place branding strategy has been adopted by many states and cities, including Bangkok and. engchi. Singapore. For many years, these two cities are important destinations for foreigners (Morton, 2018) and they share many interesting similarities. They are both located in the Southeast Asia region, a developing region that has a great deal of growth potential after the integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Moreover, both of them are cities in the region that have had successes in promoting their brand to the international stage through tourism branding. Bangkok and Singapore have appeared on the top of many lists of city tourism indexes. The City RepTrak by Reputation Institute, for example, is one of the most important indexes to city branding and reputation. According to their 2017 City RepTrak, city reputation can allure. 1. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(11) more tourism, students, foreign talents, foreign direct investment (FDI), and led to better diplomacy. It studies four dimensions of emotional reputation: feeling, esteem, admiration, and trust, and three dimensions of rational reputation: advanced economy, appealing environment, and effective government, of each city they evaluate. The advanced economy includes business environment, financial stability and future growth, and well-respected products and services, headquarters of the leading companies, and technology. Appealing environment emphasizes beauty, appealing experiences, and well-known personalities of the city. The effective government, often cited as the most significant dimension, focuses on well-developed political and legal institutions, economic and environmental policy, transportation and communication. 治政 of 56 cities, Singapore ranks the 27th with 73.1 points while 大Bangkok ranks the 49th with 63.5 立 Despite their low ranking, they are the only two cities from points; (Johnson and Oliver, 2018). infrastructure, well-respected leadership, and safety (Trad, 2017). The 2018 report states that, out. ‧ 國. 學. Southeast Asia chosen to be studied among other important cities.. Another related index that can emphasize the significance of Bangkok and Singapore. ‧. branding is the Mastercard Destination Cities Index. This index illustrates the results of studies of international overnight visitor arrivals and the cross-border spending by visitors. Its studies. Nat. sit. y. also measure the rate of visitors in relation to city brandings that were promoted by the tourism. er. io. organization. The study uses public data of 162 destinations from the previous year to analyze and predict the trend of any particular year. Unlike in the City RepTrak index, Bangkok and. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. Singapore seem to succeed as tourist destinations using Mastercard results. Since the index first. engchi. launched in 2010, Bangkok and Singapore were always the top ten of the chart measured by visitor arrivals. Bangkok ranked the third and Singapore ranked the fourth two years in a row in 2011 and 2012 (Wong, 2011; Wong, 2012). In 2013, Bangkok became the first Asian city to claim the top rank of this index with 15.98 million estimated overnight visitors (Wong and Choong, 2013). It lost the top rank to the former winner, London, in 2014 and 2015 due to the domestic political issues but still ranked the second place (Wong and Choong, 2014; Wong and Choong, 2015). Though, 2016 was the significant year of Bangkok. It was because Bangkok got back to the first place again with 21.47 million overnight visitors and also won the 12th place of the fastest-growing destination cities. 2. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(12) ranking with 9.6 percent scores. Moreover, ranked by international overnight visitor spend among Asia-Pacific cities, Bangkok was also in the first place with USD 14.82 billion. The analysis of the year featured that Bangkok’s top feeder cities were Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, and Dubai. An analysis of the country of origin for visitors, 32 percent of visitors coming to Bangkok were not from the Asia-Pacific region. China was the biggest feeder, followed by Japan, USA, India, and Germany respectively. The 2016 report says that Bangkok succeeded in this rate of growth because it could catch the visitors from fast-growing feeder city like Dubai (Wong and Choong, 2016). Bangkok still ranked the first place of the overnight visitor arrivals index until 2017 and 2018 (Mastercard, 2017; Mastercard, 2018).. 治政 Choong, 2013; Wong and Choong, 2014) before slightly fell大 in the following years, the seventh place in 2015, the sixth place in立 2016, and the fifth place in 2017 and 2018 (Wong and Choong, Meanwhile, Singapore remained in the fourth place in 2013 and 2014 (Wong and. ‧ 國. 學. 2015; Wong and Choong, 2016; Mastercard, 2017; Mastercard, 2018). In 2016, Singapore ranked the third in the overnight visitors spend in the Asia-Pacific region with USD 12.54. ‧. billion, following Bangkok and Tokyo. Its top feeder cities were Jakarta, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Manila and top feeder countries were Indonesia, China, India, Australia, and. Nat. sit. y. Malaysia, all are within the Asia-Pacific. Only 13 percent of visitors in Singapore that had the. er. io. origin countries outside the region (Wong and Choong, 2016).. For these reasons, Bangkok and Singapore tourism are tempting targets for the study of. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. their tourism policy. They can be analyzed not only for their success in promoting tourism but. engchi. also for their gains in international prestige and the growth of their economy. Furthermore, among all Southeast Asian countries, Thailand and Singapore are two countries in the region often selected for study together with other cities from other regions in the tourism realm. This shows that their tourism policy and campaign are successful and well-accepted. Accordingly, this thesis chose to study Bangkok and Singapore as they are good examples of city branding in Southeast Asia.. 3. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(13) Research Framework This research aims to compare the cases of Bangkok and Singapore in terms of city branding through the tourism dimension. Due to the limited accessible online sources before the internet era, I will study the cases from 2009 to 2018. Starting from the decline of tourism in both cities after the 2008 Financial Crisis and domestic riot to the adoption of the newest taglines “Amazing Thailand: Open to the New Shades” of Bangkok and “Passion Made Possible” of Singapore, this period of time can well represent branding policies and tourism situations of Bangkok and Singapore in the digital era. Moreover, their strategy for reforming public. 政治大 supportive statistic data, official documents, and policies are available online; these uphold the 立. awareness through Public Diplomacy and Marketing by the coming of the new media. Also, the. accuracy of this research.. ‧ 國. 學. Research Purpose and Questions. ‧. Because of the remarkable fame of Bangkok and Singapore branding over other cities in. Nat. sit. y. the Southeast Asia region, it is essential to understand what is behind their successes and what. io. er. the limitations of city branding are. This research attempt to isolate the key factors that can be applied broadly to almost any city. I will attempt to answer four questions:. n. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. 1. How do Bangkok and Singapore construct their brands through the tourism industry? 2. What major factors have contributed to their respective success on city branding via tourism? 3. What would be the major factor(s) hindering their respective city branding via tourism? 4. What are the similarities and differences between Bangkok's and Singapore's city branding campaign strategy in the realm of tourism policy?. 4. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(14) Methodology To answer these questions, this research will employ two qualitative methodologies: document analysis and interview. Document analysis will make clear the policy and marketing plan of Bangkok and Singapore, while the interview will lead to a better understanding of how the visitors think about those two cities. Documents for document analysis are collected from the official documents, press releases, and news to study for policies and campaigns. The interviews are conducted with five Taiwanese tourists who have previously been in both cities. Recruited by the convenient sampling, this will help me better understand the opinions and perceptions of. 政治大 This thesis concentrates on the study of Bangkok's and Singapore's city branding, in 立. tourists.. particular through the tourism policy. By examining the literature on city branding, I will sort out. ‧ 國. 學. from a general viewpoint the positive and negative factors influencing city branding and apply to the case studies of Bangkok and Singapore. Specifically, I will adopt three levels of analysis to. ‧. better understand the two cities’ branding through tourism strategy: the central government level,. y. Nat. the local government level, and the non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The first two levels. sit. may include government-owned non-profit organizations. The independent variable is. er. io. government campaign toward city branding, while the dependent variables are government. al. n. iv n C favorable conditions that can attract andhimpress e n gforeigners c h i Uwho have visited, plan on visiting, or capacity (policy) planning and implementation as well as the devotion of NGOs and the. only have some impression of the two cities.. 5. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(15) Chapter II - Literature Review To clarify the research background and question, the literature review is divided into three parts: the definition and discipline of City Branding, the Bangkok Tourism Industry, finally, a comparison between the two cities. The Bangkok Tourism Industry part includes historical context, political effect towards tourism, institutional roles, tourism policies, and motto. The City comparison section will review the same topics in Bangkok as in Singapore Tourism Industry. City Branding is usually tied with other similar terms with a greater scope, such as Place Branding or Nation Branding. The similar concept of branding a place and branding a. 政治大. corporation was also explained by many scholars concerning their complexity and various. 立. stakeholders (Dinnie, 2011; Taecharungroj, 2017). The place-based branding has been adopted. ‧ 國. 學. traditionally for tourism and country positioning in the international stage. However, global society nowadays is becoming more competitive than before. Each country has broadened the. ‧. role of place branding to increase exports, attract foreign investment, international students, and foreign skilled labor (Papadupoulos, 2004). It is one of the rare topics that have both academic. sit. y. Nat. appeal as well as being considered to have a great deal of practical application. However, most. io. er. published research has been done by those studying marketing and urban studies while researchers and practitioners in public diplomacy (PD) were still discussing whether PD and. n. al. i n U. v. place branding or nation branding is the same thing but were seen by different dimension (Anholt, 2006; Dinnie, 2011).. Ch. engchi. Anholt expresses his opinion about the discipline of place branding or nation branding; he does not distinguish these two terms in his articles. During the conference of PD in 2005, he said that “PD is, in fact, a subset of Nation Branding.” He emphasizes the linkage between PD and place branding again in the editorial of Place Branding and Public Diplomacy journal that there was not any evidence to prove the effect of marketing communication on international public perception. He adduced the Nation Brands Index that some countries could have improvement without conducting the nation branding while some with branding campaign experienced a different result (Anholt, 2006; Anholt, 2008).. 6. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(16) On the other hand, Dinnie, an expert on place branding from the school of marketing, pointed out that there were some ethics and manners should be integral to nation branding. The nation is, unlike the private company or other product, not a blank subject that the agency can set the image and agenda freely, it comes with culture, people, and other background. Because of this complexity, branding the nation should be based on every stakeholder groups’ opinion (Dinnie et al., 2008):. “when applying the concept of a brand to nations rather than to mere products, there is an ethical obligation to do so in an honest,. 治政 appropriate it is to treat nations as大 brands.” 立 (Dinnie et al., 2008). respectful manner and to acknowledge the limits of how. —. ‧ 國. 學. From the concept and discipline of place branding (and/or nation branding), it can be. ‧. seen as a mixture of PD and marketing area. Marketing cannot be seen as the core of place branding because one nation or place is not just a product. Nonetheless, if the marketing was. Nat. sit. y. carefully set together with the policy and sincerely presented, it will be successful in upholding. er. io. government policy on promoting a place or nation. Next, this research would look deeper into the definition and real practice of city branding, then connect it to the case of Bangkok and. n. al. Singapore.. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. City Branding: Definition and City Branding in Tourism Despite its significant importance, the definition of city branding is still unclear. This is not because it was overlooked but because it has gotten much attention from many aspects and disciplines. Some literature defines city branding as based on what it is not instead of what it is (Sevin, 2014). However, it seems like the term city branding would be focused under the spotlight of the marketing and urban development trends more than the PD one (Dinnie, 2011). While there is research on city branding in those former points of view (Gelder, 2008; Dinardi, 2017), PD, on the other hand, focuses more on place branding and nation branding. PD scholars. 7. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(17) are more likely to treat city branding as a minimized version of those two terms. For example, Govers (2013) wrote in his research that place branding was a representation of a region, country, or city that building images and leading to brand equity. As referred above, city branding, which could be seen as a subset of place branding, is also in the overlapped area of PD and marketing. To study the city branding through the tourism industry, it is crucial to apply both aspects; neither PD nor marketing should be left behind. From the marketing point of view that pays more attention to the communication, a great deal of the literature argues that the remarkable thing about city branding is that targets of city branding are not only the outsider (visitors, tourists, investors, etc.), but also the insiders (citizens, residents,. 治政 al., 2012; Taecharungroj, 2018). Similar to the PD side that大 arguing place branding was not just 立 images of the city through slogans and logos (Govers, about the marketing plan to promote businesses, etc.) (Braun et al., 2013; Insch, 2011; Gelder, 2008; Kavaratzis, 2004; Merrilees et. ‧ 國. 學. 2013), it was the policy towards images of the city (Anholt, 2006) which definitely affecting both insider and outsider perceptions once it is enacted.. ‧. Dinnie (2011) emphasizes that city branding in practice can be described from many aspects including the tourist gaze. Tourist is one crucial target of city branding, especially, those. Nat. sit. y. who are in the urban tourism market. The growth of low-cost airlines recently led to the growth. er. io. of urban tourism. City branding, in this sense, adopts two strategies: material and immaterial characteristics. Material aspect contains the real place such as buildings and events while. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. immaterial aspect is stories, slogans, or logos. Applied with the Tourist Gaze theory, Dinnie. engchi. argues that tourists expect to see iconic landscapes of the city they used to know from other media. This explains the phenomenon that some famous places become even more famous over time. Thus, for tourism purposes, the city should start branding itself from building images of its materials (Hospers, 2011). The result of this chapter relates to Gover’s (2013) argument that slogan and logo were not the most critical thing for city branding.. 8. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(18) Destination Marketing Tourism activities can be occured at the destination (Wang, 2011). Thus, destination marketing has been brought under the spotlight after the growth of tourism demands (Pike and Page, 2014; Souiden et al., 2017). It can be deemed as a subject in both the research area and the real practice (Campos, 2012). Due to its similarities, destination marketing shares some overlaps with place branding (Pike & Page, 2014). While place branding is a broad perspective including political factors such as government policy, public diplomacy, cultural and historical substances (Pike & Page, 2014), destination marketing discipline is more closely related to the realm of. 政治大 and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) (Palmer & Bejou, 1995; Naipaul et al., 2009; 立 Pike & Page, 2014; Line & Wang 2017). marketing. Academic journals about destination marketing more likely to focus on stakeholders. ‧ 國. 學. Destination marketing is more complicated than the traditional marketing due to the complexity of the tourism industry that relies on external factors, for example, economic factors,. ‧. political factors, physical factors, etc. (Wang, 2011; Campos, 2012; Line & Wang 2017). Hence,. y. Nat. destinations can be considered as a product that has many stakeholders (Palmer & Bejou, 1995;. sit. Line&Wang 2017). Furthermore, because tourists will choose only few places as destinations for. er. io. their trip, the tourism industry is a highly competitive market (Wang 2011; Line & Wang, 2017).. al. iv n C environment, wide beach, friendly local h people, i U accommodation (Souiden et al., e n gorc hospitable h 2017). Marketing scholars proposed the same idea that, similar to the traditional marketing, n. This competition also includes similar characteristics of destination, for instance, beautiful. destination marketing should build the identification and differentiation in the process of marketing or branding to get more attention from tourists. In this sense, to get into the evoked set is not enough, the particular destination must be unique to be selected as the final decision (Qu et al., 2011; Souiden et al., 2017). Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) are funded by many countries to build, reposition, or strengthen the image of their tourism destinations (Pike and Page, 2014). They play an important role in this mission as an organizer and facilitator for the destination marketing (Wang, 2011). Furthermore, DMOs have to reflect all the stakeholders’ needs and follow the. 9. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(19) challenging trends that can affect the industry, for example, the new form of tourism behavior, new competitor (Line & Wang, 2017), economics, or politics (Wang, 2011). However, because of the complexity and differences of each destination as they contain many dimensions in one place, Palmer & Bejou (1995) argues that “there is no a unique approach for creating marketing collaboratives is applicable in all business environments.”. Bangkok Tourism Industry Thailand started promoting its tourism in 1924. An advertising department for the State Railway of Thailand was established to help and promote Thailand to foreign tourists. The. 政治大 tourist business to the Office of the Prime Minister respectively. In 1959, Field Marshal Sarit 立. organization has been moved to the Ministry of Commerce and Transport and transferred the. Thanarat decided to cut the tourism promotion activities from the Office of the Prime Minister. ‧ 國. 學. and turn it to the independent organization called Tourist Organization of Thailand (TOT). The TOT had been working to promote Thailand tourism for two decades. Until 1979, the tourism. ‧. industry was booming and requiring the greater scope of the organization. The Tourism Authority. y. Nat. of Thailand (TAT) was established on 4 May 1979 to promote Thailand tourism ever since.. sit. During the early years of TAT, there was a tagline Visit Thailand Year in 1980, and 1987. er. io. focuses on promoting Thai heritage cultures. However, many studies about Thailand Tourism. al. n. iv n C topics related mainly with terms sex tourism, h e nAID, i U (Cohen, 1988; Li, 1995; Bishop g corhprostitutes. before the twenty-first century saw Thailand as a top sex tourism destination in the region, the. & Robinson, 1998). They portrayed these images of Thailand tourism among foreigners during that time. Until after the Asian financial crisis in 1997, TAT finally set the brand to Thailand tourism industry under Amazing Thailand 1998-1999 tagline. Initially, this tagline was designed to serve three main purposes: to enhance Thailand’s image as a quality tourism destination for foreign and domestic tourists, to promote the tourism industry as a tool for solving economic problems, and to uphold international cooperation with ASEAN members and other East Asia countries with regard to Asia Pacific tourism. The tagline held nine categories of Thailand tourism: Amazing Shopping Paradise, Amazing Taste of Thailand, Amazing Culture Heritage, Amazing Thai Arts and Life, Amazing World Heritage in Thailand, Amazing Natural Heritage,. 10. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(20) Amazing Thai Sport and Entertainment, Amazing Gateways, and Amazing Agricultural Heritage. The tagline was extensively successful that it had been adopted as the main tagline until nowadays. (Ratchakitchanubeksa, 1959; Tourism Authority of Thailand, N.D.b) Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, plays a crucial role in Thailand’s tourism as a highly recommended destination and as a hub for foreign tourists to link to other regions in Thailand (Tourism Authority of Thailand, N.D.a). In 2017, Bangkok was the top destination city in the world to welcome approximately 20.05 million international visitors (Mastercard, 2018). Bangkok tourism is famous for its low cost of living, nightlife, shopping, temple, or even the prostitution (officially illegal but for the most part unenforced) (Askew, 1998; Howard, 2005;. 治政 Bangkok has been promoted together with other provinces 大 in Thailand under the tagline 立In 2009, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) Amazing Thailand since 1998. Tourism Authority of Thailand, N.D.a).. ‧ 國. 學. revealed the new brand of Bangkok with the tagline Bangkok Smiles to promote the city’s tourism within foreign tourists (EDTguide.com, 2009). Official document and press news show. ‧. that this tagline is still currently in use (BangkokSmiles, 2018; PostToday, 2018). This means Bangkok tourism is under at least two government organizations: TAT and BMA. However,. Nat. sit. y. during the past, Bangkok has been faced with substantial political turmoil. In 2016, the junta. er. io. government suspended Sukhumbhand Paribatra, then Bangkok governor (Reuters, 2016), and appointed Aswin Kwanmuang, the former police official, to be the first Bangkok governor in 30. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. years who did not come from the election (Khaosod English, 2016). Under the junta government. engchi. and appointed governor, finding the policy and marketing plan from MBA is hard to conduct. The author found that the BMA website was not friendly designed to non-governmental users; many documents were hidden from the main web page or unallowed. Before the coup d’etat, there were political riots in Bangkok which several important strategic points affected such as Suvarnabhumi Airport, Government House of Thailand, or Democracy Monument are all located in the high-density tourist zone. However, the study shows that those events do not affect negatively in long-term and tourists would still like to come back to Thailand (Maliwan and Bahaudin, 2012).. 11. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(21) Singapore Tourism Industry “Tourism is a major industry and we must rely on private enterprise to sustain and develop the industry.” —. Wong Kwei Chong, former chairman of SRPB. In 1964, Singapore started to develop its national tourism by forming an organization called the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB). A few years after that, the government began the promotion of the city as a center for conventions and events in the region to draw more. 政治大 (Chiang, 2011). However, the city still lacked tourism infrastructure at that time, and because the 立. visitors, who were called Meeting, Incentive, Convention, Exhibition (MICE) travelers later on. tourism industry was underdeveloped, Singapore’s tourism branding was advanced along with. ‧ 國. 學. infrastructure under the supervision of STPB. Famous tourist attractions in the city, such as Sentosa Island and the Singapore Zoological Gardens, were also built during this period. This. ‧. vision brought Singapore to proceed with upcoming infrastructure development plans such as. y. Nat. Changi Airport (Lohmann et al., 2009), garden attractions and modern hotels (Meng et al., 2013).. sit. In the 1980s, after the urbanization progressed, the private sector started to question. er. io. whether Singapore was taking its historical charm and heritage for granted. Pamelia Lee, then. al. n. iv n C invite the Heritage Committee of the hPacific i U Association (PATA) to solve this e n gAsia c hTravel. Head of Product Development Division of STPB, decided to set a conservation study trip and. problem. In addition, the first economic recession hit Singapore in 1985, bringing the country to. a mega project called Tourism Product Development Plan in the following year. The project allocated one billion Singapore Dollars and started with enhancing the performance of Chinatown and the Singapore River as tourist attractions. The development plan was expanded later on to Fort Canning Park, Haw Par Villa, Bugis Street, Sentosa Island, Lazarus Island, Little India, Geylang Serai, and Kampong Glam (Centre for Liveable Cities, 2015; Singapore Tourism Board, N.D.a). As a result, Singapore experienced significant growth in foreign tourists in the following years. The tourism industry became a key economic driver that required greater organization.. 12. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(22) In 1997, STPB was restructured as the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), with the expanded role of working under Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry. Within five decades, the city’s tourist numbers dramatically increased from 98,481 in 1965 (Henderson, 2015) to 55,032,630 in 2015 (Singapore Tourism Board, 2016). Singapore tourism was often affected by international issues such as the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the 9/11 attack and the SARS epidemic. Another significant incident was the 2008 global financial crisis, which caused the 2009 tourism rate in Singapore to decrease by 18.7 percent. It experienced a 49.2 percent growth in the next year (Meng et al., 2013) The history of Singapore’s tourism tagline can be traced back to the launch of Surprising. 治政 new tagline. Other taglines were New-Asia Singapore (1996), 大Uniquely Singapore (2004), Your 立Made Possible (2017) (Centre for Liveable Cities, 2015; Singapore (2010), and Passion. Singapore in1977. Normally, one tagline would be used for a few years before the coming of a. ‧ 國. 學. Singapore Tourism Board, N.D.a). ‧. To summarize and review other important events in these two countries, Table 1 shows. Nat. Thailand’s events while Table 2 shows Singapore’s events. Both Thailand and Singapore tourism. sit. y. were affected by global incidents such as the Asian Financial Crisis and the SARS outbreak.. er. io. Although the former did not affect Thailand’s tourism growth, it was the origins of Amazing Thailand tagline. Figure 1 shows the number of international tourists arrival for both countries. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. provided by the World Bank. Although this number is slightly different from the official number. engchi. collected and provided by TAT and STB, it also shows the growth and decrease of tourist arrivals in the same year as the two tables above.. 13. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(23) Table 1: Important Events of Thailand Tourism Branding by Years Year. Important Events of Thailand Tourism Branding. 1960. Establishment of TOT. 1973. Thailand reached more than 1 million tourists. 1976. The 1st decrease of foreign tourists because of the domestic riot. 1979. Establishment of TAT. 1980. Launching Visit Thailand Year t agline. 1983. The 2nd decrease of foreign tourists because of the global economics crisis. 1987. Relaunching Visit Thailand Year tagline. 1990. Thailand reached more than 5 million tourists. 1991. The 3rd decrease of foreign tourists because of the Gulf War Launching Amazing Thailand tagline Thailand reached more than 10 million tourists. ‧. 2002. ‧ 國. 2001. 學. 1998-1999. 立. 政治大. Establishment of Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The 4th decrease of foreign tourists because of the SARS outbreak. 2004. The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. 2005. The 5th decrease of foreign tourists because of the Tsunami incident. 2007. Thailand reached more than 14 million tourists. 2009. First launching of Bangkok Smiles tagline by BMA, The 6th decrease of foreign tourists because of the domestic riot. 2013. Thailand reached more than 45 million tourists. 2014. The 7th decrease of foreign tourists because of the domestic riot. 2017. Thailand reached more than 50 million tourists. 2018. Launching Amazing Thailand “Open to the New Shades” tagline,. n. er. io. al. sit. y. Nat. 2003. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Source: Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sport. “International Tourism in Whole Kingdom 2013.” Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sport, 2014.; Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sport. “International Tourism in Whole Kingdom 2018.” Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sport, 2019.;Tourism Authority of Thailand. “About TAT.” https://www.tourismthailand.org/, www.tourismthailand.org/About-Thailand/About-TAT.. 14. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(24) Table 2: Important Events of Singapore Tourism Branding by Years Year. Important Events of Thailand Tourism Branding. 1964. Establishment of STPB; Singapore had 90 thousands tourists. 1970. Singapore reached more than 500 thousands tourists. 1972. The 1st Merlion. 1973. Singapore reached more than 1 million tourists. 1977. Launching Surprising Singapore tagline. 1985. Economic Recession; Singapore reached more than 3 million tourists. 1986. Tourism Product Development Plan. 1991. Singapore reached more than 5 million tourists. 1996. Launching New-Asia Singapore tagline Establishment of STB. The 1th decrease of foreign tourists because of Asian Financial Crisis. ‧. 2002. ‧ 國. 1998. 學. 1997. 立. 政治大. Establishment of Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The 2th decrease of foreign tourists because of the SARS outbreak. 2004. Launching Uniquely Singapore t agline. 2007. Singapore reached more than 10 million tourists. n. al. Ch. er. io. 2008-2009. sit. y. Nat. 2003. i n U. v. The 3th decrease of foreign tourists because of 2008 Financial Crisis. engchi. 2010. Launching Your Singapore tagline, Opening of integrated resorts (Marina Bay Sands and Resort World Sentosa). 2013. Singapore reached more than 15 million tourists. 2017. Launching Passion Made Possible tagline; first time for the unified brand, Singapore reached more than 17 million tourists. 2018. Singapore reached more than 18 million tourists. Source: Singapore Tourism Board. “About STB.” Something Unexpected Happened, www.stb.gov.sg/about-stb.; Centre for Liveable Cities. Planning for Tourism: Creating a Vibrant Singapore. Centre for Liveable Cities, 2015.; Singapore Tourism Board. “Annual Report On Tourism Statistics 2015”. Industry Research Department, 2016.; Singapore Tourism Board. “Annual Report On Tourism Statistics 2017”. Industry Research Department, 2018.. 15. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(25) Figure 1: Number of International Tourism Arrivals to Thailand and Singapore from 1995 to 2017. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. Source: The World Bank. “International Tourism, Number of Arrivals.” The World Bank Data, data.worldbank.org/. n. al. er. io. sit. y. Nat. indicator /ST.INT.ARVL?end=2017&start=1995&view=chart.. Ch. engchi. 16. i n U. v. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(26) Chapter III - Bangkok’s City Branding Policy Since 1998, Bangkok has been known as an important destination under the promotional campaign Amazing Thailand. During 2008 to 2018, this particular campaign is still being used by TAT (Ministry of Tourism and Sport, 2018). The capital city of Thailand plays a significant role in tourism, making it outstanding compared to other provinces. From 2012 to 2016, the international visitors of Bangkok accounted for 24.1 percent of the whole country’s. Bangkok’s international tourist arrival is at 36 percent, while most of the nearby provinces and the whole kingdom’s average arrivals are less than 30 percent. The only province close to Bangkok that has. 政治大. a similar percentage of foreigner visitor is Samutprakarn, where the Suvarnabhumi International. 立. Airport is located (Department of City Planning and Urban Development, 2016). ‧ 國. 學. Figure 2: International Visitors in Bangkok and Other Provinces in Thailand from 2012 to 2016 (%). ‧. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Source: Department of City Planning and Urban Development, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Study of the Number of Tourist and Excursionist in Bangkok 2016, 2016.. 17. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(27) Figure 3: Thai and International Visitors in Thailand, Bangkok, and Nearby Provinces from 2012 to 2016 (%). 立. 政治大. ‧ 國. 學. Source: Department of City Planning and Urban Development, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Study of the Number of Tourist and Excursionist in Bangkok 2016, 2016.. ‧. During a time period that this thesis aims to study, Bangkok’s tourism statistics could be. y. Nat. sit. sourced through the Intelligence Center under the supervision of TAT. The provided data does. al. er. io. not include the 2008 and 2009, but we may assume that Bangkok’s tourism was influenced by. n. the 2008 Financial Crisis as well as Thailand (Figure 1) because Bangkok shares a big part of the. Ch. i n U. v. country’s international visitor (Figure 2). Also, they have a similar ratio of international visitors (Figure 3).. engchi. To study Bangkok tourism in this particular time, it is important to know basic statistical data of total international visitor arrivals, international tourism receipts, international tourism receipts per capita expenditure per day, and average length of stay. Figures below show tourism statistics of Bangkok from 2010 to 2017.. 18. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(28) Figure 4: Bangkok International Visitor Arrivals 2010 - 2017. 學. ‧ 國. 立. 政治大. Source: TAT Intelligence Center. Tourist Statistics in Bangkok, 2018.. ‧. n. al. er. io. sit. y. Nat. Figure 5: Bangkok International Tourism Receipts 2010 - 2017 (Million Baht). Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Source: TAT Intelligence Center. Tourist Statistics in Bangkok, 2018.. 19. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(29) Figure 6: Bangkok International Tourism Receipts per Capita Expenditure per Day 2010 - 2017. 立. 政治大. ‧ 國. 學. Source: TAT Intelligence Center. Tourist Statistics in Bangkok, 2018.. ‧. Nat. io. n. al. 2010 2011. Ch. er. Average Length of Stay. Year. sit. y. Table 3: Bangkok International Tourism Average Length of Stay 2010 - 2017. i n i U e n g c h 4.95 5.48. 2012. 4.92. 2013. 4.86. 2014. 4.86. 2015. 4.46. 2016. 4.77. 2017. 4.77. v. Source: TAT Intelligence Center, “Tourist Statistics in Bangkok.” Tourist Statistics in Bangkok, 2018.. 20. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(30) Figure 4 and Figure 5 show that in 2014, international visitor arrivals and international tourism receipts decreased from the previous year. This is because there was a coup d’état in Thailand on May 22, 2014, as well as a financial crisis in Russia. While in 2016, the visitor arrivals decreased, tourism receipts increased considerably. It relates to the result on Figure 6 that tourism receipts per capita is growing every year. Less tourists seems to not affect Bangkok negatively when the receipts are getting higher. Figure 6 and Table 3 emphasize the growth of the international tourists’ expenses. Even though tourists stay in Bangkok shorter than they did before, each of them spends more during their trip. The report states that international tourism receipts per capita expenditure per day in. 治政 whole country’s that was around 3,000 Baht. Likewise, the 大 average length of stay in Bangkok is longer than the average number立 of the whole country’s, which is around three days (Department Bangkok, which was around 4,000 Baht and reached 5,000 Baht in 2016, is higher than the. ‧ 國. 學. of City Planning and Urban Development, 2016; TAT Intelligence Center, 2018). Although the statistics cannot be seen as perfect due to the decrease of numbers in some. ‧. particular points, the growth of Bangkok’s international tourism in general presents itself as a definite possibility. These numbers can be studied further together with the three levels of. Nat. sit. y. analysis below. By collecting and analyzing tourism laws, policies, and marketing plans, the. er. io. background of these results would be revealed. They will help us to understand how Bangkok got itself back from the stagnation and kept growing as one of the top destinations in the world.. n. al. National Level. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. At the national level nowadays, the most significant official organization taking care of Thailand tourism is the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Established in 2002, the Ministry continued the mission of former tourism organizations. Under the power of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, there are two tourism-related offices: Department of Tourism as a public service, and Tourism Authority of Thailand as a state enterprise. With reference to the Reorganization of Ministry, Sub-Ministry, and Department Act, B.E. 2545 (2002) Section 14 and Section 15, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports has the power to promote, support, and develop tourism industry and sports. The Department of Tourism’s. 21. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(31) mission was to develop tourist attractions and tourism services, as well as support tourism businesses and guides to be up to the standard. They are responsible for studying tourism industry statistics, creating plans related to national tourism industry based on these studies and impelling stakeholders to follow the plan (Office of the Council of State, 2002). TAT, on the other hand, based on the Tourism Authority of Thailand Act, B.E. 2522 (1979) Section 8 and Section 9, aims to support and promote Thailand’s tourism industry, provide convenience and safety to tourists, promote a better understanding between people and between countries by using tourism, and initiate tourism development to enhance tourism facilities (Office of the Council of State, 1979).. 治政 tourism industry. The three most important laws are the Tourism 大 Authority of Thailand Act, B.E. 2522 (1979; edited 2007), the 立 Tourism Council of Thailand Act, B.E. 2544 (2001), and the Apart from official organizations, there are also many laws related to the Thailand. ‧ 國. 學. National Tourism Policy Act, B.E. 2551 (2008). They are distinguished from other laws because of the more significant scope that aims to control and supervise national tourism industry in. ‧. general while others, for instance, Tourism Business and Guide Act, B.E. 2551 (2008), National Park Act, B.E. 2504 (1961), Immigration Act, B.E. 2522 (1979), or Archaeological Sites,. Nat. sit. y. Antiques, Art Objects and National Museums Act, B.E. 2504 (1961), were set to focus on. er. io. particular issues. Therefore, the direction of Thailand tourism is broadly controlled by the enforcement of three acts above. All of these efforts show that the Thai government takes. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. tourism as an important industry, although they also have many organizations and laws that. engchi. causes redundancy and lacks unity in management.. The Tourism Authority of Thailand Act is the oldest tourism law still enforced. It was written in 1979 to establish TAT, set the agenda, power, management, source of income, and examination of the enterprise. In 2007, TAT direction was revised. Initially, TAT worked under the supervision of the cabinet and the prime minister. The new version of the act states that TAT would be under the supervision of the Minister of Tourism and Sports (Office of the Council of State, 1979). While the Tourism Authority of Thailand Act set the state enterprise as the DMO, Tourism Council of Thailand Act pays more attention to tourism entrepreneurs in Thailand. It. 22. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(32) established the Tourism Council of Thailand to represent tourism entrepreneurs’ interest and become a coordinator between the public sector and the private sector or among each private sector. In Section 6, Tourism Council of Thailand also aims to control the members to run business ethically, support and publish academic research and advise the cabinet on the issues related to the tourism industry, and also protect member’s interest within the tourism industry (Office of the Council of State, 2001). This act is the first attempt to allow entrepreneurs to protect their interests and participate in tourism policy legislation. Since then, those organizations have been working together on planning, supporting, developing, and protecting the Thailand tourism industry and other tourism-related environments.. 治政 too many organizations taking care of it and most of them 大 lacked cooperation. Thus, the directions of Thailand tourism 立 were not in unity and caused declining tourist attractions. This. Until 2008, the cabinet regarded national tourism tasks as disrupted because there were. ‧ 國. 學. situation may affect the country in the long term in terms of economics, culture, and environment and hinder the development of Thailand’s tourism. To solve this problem, the Thai government. ‧. at that time decided to enact the National Tourism Policy Act, B.E. 2551. According to Section 5 of the act, there shall be a National Tourism Policy Committee to have at least four conferences. Nat. sit. y. in a year to create and present a National Tourism Development Plan to the cabinet. The plan. er. io. must clearly define how to manage and develop national tourism, the cooperation of related agencies, and operating time. Also, this plan could be flexible if there were shifts of global. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. events or any factors that might affect national tourism (Office of the Council of State; 2008).. engchi. Another important thing that comes with this act is the Tourism Development Zone. It is to develop the tourism industry and to balance it with community development in particular potential areas. From strengthening local resource and product management to promoting local interests and linking them to the tourism industry, Tourism Development Zone aims to build more relationships between official organizations and local communities (Ministry of Tourism and Sport, 2015). Nonetheless, it was not until 2015 that the Tourism Development Zone was set following the Thailand Tourism Strategy 2015 - 2017 by the Ministry of Tourism and Sport. The document states that there were many limitations that cannot be overcome due to the first. 23. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(33) National Tourism Development Plan. Those limitations include that there was not the so-called Tourism Development Zone yet (Ministry of Tourism and Sport, 2015). The National Tourism Development Plan The National Tourism Development Plan is the core of Thailand tourism policy. It is crucial to conduct the in-depth study to understand policy directions’ , successes, failures, and effects. Thailand’s first official tourism development plan is the National Tourism Development Plan 2012 - 2016. It was written during the decline of global economics. The plan emphasizes several times that the shifting of global economics might affect the trend of global and Thailand. 治政 environmental factors of the Thailand tourism industry, as大 shown in Table 4. This approach 立 shows the back-and-forth process between policymaking and marketing planning that the Thai tourism (Ministry of Tourism and Sport, 2011). By using SWOT analysis, this plan reviews the. ‧ 國. 學. government adopted. There are five factors from SWOT table that the committees pick as the crucial issues for the development of Thailand tourism. Those issues include the increase of. ‧. international tourism, the decline of Thai tourist attractions, the weak tourism management structure, unpredictable threats, and the availability of services and tourism section (Ministry of. y. Nat. sit. Tourism and Sport, 2011).. al. er. io. The increase of international tourism includes international cooperation, the growth of. n. BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), the coming of an aging society, and the growth of. Ch. i n U. v. particular interest tourism segment. Thailand should be prepared for these changes. According to. engchi. the plan, it suggests that Thailand should pay more attention to the special interest tourism such as health tourism, adventure tourism, spiritual tourism, sports tourism, or MICE which reflect the needs of those dynamics. Also, Thailand should be ready for the competition that would get higher because of the market’s potential. The decline of Thai tourist attractions refers directly to the problems of safety, regulations, environment, and hygiene. According to the plan, tourism that focuses on the number of tourists causes this kind of problem. Together with the growth of neighbors who were the new investors in the tourism market, Thailand should switch its market to qualitative tourism and find a way to revive and conserve its tourist attractions in the long term.. 24. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(34) Table 4: SWOT Analysis of Thailand Tourism Industry 2012 - 2016 Strengths. -. -. Tourism is a national agenda of Thailand Thai natural environment, culture, and people are essential strengths High investment in the service business The availability of infrastructure and tourism facilities Thailand has more experiences in international marketing than other developing countries The geographic location of Thailand is suitable for tourism Unique attractions and new service innovations. 立. -. The weak logistic system between majority and secondary destinations The decline of tourist attractions Weak state mechanisms for tourism The negative images of safety, tourist fraud, and human trafficking The lack of tourism personnel The lack of tourism development planning at the local level E-commerce is not as popular as other countries The lack of new tourist attraction The lack of integration within the industry. 政治- 大 -. 學. ‧ 國. -. Weaknesses. Opportunities. io. n. al. -. -. -. Ch. e n g c -h i -. y. sit. -. Higher competitive in the tourism industry Uncertainty of world economic causing tourists deciding not to travel or spend less during the trip International terrorist Natural disasters, climate change, and epidemics affecting tourists’ decisions Competition to be an international aviation hub in the region Competition between personnel in ASEAN which Thailand may not be the most advantageous country due to the low foreign language skills of Thai personnel. er. -. Nat. -. The growth of BRIC The shift in tourist behavior to the niche market Increasing of older travelers Cooperation with neighboring countries could provide more potential to the secondary tourist destinations The expansion of low-cost airlines and the trend of tourists traveling to a nearby destination The usage of technology and electronic system Economic integration, international agreements, and other provisions International cooperation in control of diseases, and solving global warming problems. ‧. -. Threats. i n U. v. Source: Ministry of Tourism and Sport, National Tourism Development Plan 2012 -2016, 2011.. 25. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(35) Weak tourism management structure, which is the reason behind this tourism plan, relates to the deficiency of unity between organizations in each governmental level and the deficiency of knowledge about tourism management and development at the local level. From my personal experience of living in Thailand for more than 20 years, it must not be overlooked that this problem did not only appear in the tourism section, but it is also easily remarked on other industries because of the centralization of the state that causes inequality between the central and local government. Problems of logistics, tourist attractions, tourism personnel, and local tourism industry all seem to have inefficient cooperation as its root. The National Tourism Development Plan 2012 - 2016 specifies that each organization should find a way to integrate and encourage. 治政 any specific detail about how they would follow this suggestion 大 (Ministry of Tourism and Sport, 立 2011).. locals to associate in planning, and developing tourism in their area. However, it does not make. ‧ 國. 學. Threats from a natural disaster, epidemic, economics, or politics are what the government and every stakeholder cannot predict or control. Consequently, once any of those were happened,. ‧. it could significantly affect the confidence of the tourist. Thailand, therefore, must prepare to deal with them by implementing passive policy so that the country’s tourism can be recovered. Nat. sit. y. within a short time. The availability of services and tourism section in Thailand plays a crucial. er. io. role in driving and restoring the national tourism and economy after being affected by global economics or domestic riots (Ministry of Tourism and Sport, 2011).. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. Based on the marketing analysis above, the National Tourism Development Plan 2012 -. engchi. 2016 proposes five issues that every stakeholder should focus on and adapt to their conditions.. Important Issues 1. Develop infrastructures and facilities, especially in logistics and tourism facilities. 2. Sustainably develop and recover the tourist attractions, enhance the quality of destinations to the international level. 3. Develop products, services, and tourism supported factors to encourage investors to invest in the tourism industry.. 26. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(36) 4. Promote the positive tourism images of Thailand to build awareness and reinforce the confidence of tourists. 5. Facilitate the integration of government sector, public sector, and governmental organization in tourism resource management.. Therefore, to measure the success of the plan, it sets the goals of the National Tourism Development Plan 2012 - 2016 as follows:. 1. Thailand ranks at least five place higher on the Travel and Tourism. 治政 the 1st to the 7th of Asia. 大 Tourism receipts立 grow not less than five percent.. Competitiveness Index (TTCI) by the World Economic Forum, to rank between. 2.. ‧ 國. 學. 3. Categorized tourism has been developed.. ‧. Despite all the marketing strategy and stated issues, the National Tourism Development Plan 2012 - 2016 did not point out clear-cut solutions, or describe the role and responsibility of. Nat. sit. y. each related sector. Chapter 5, the Mechanism for Driving National Tourism Development Plan. er. io. into Real Practice, only remarks that the Ministry of Tourism and Sport had a duty to provide advice to government agencies and push for integration in all levels, from the central, regional,. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. provincial to local authorities (Ministry of Tourism and Sport, 2011). That analysis only refers to. engchi. Thailand’s tourism industry in general. The Thai government mechanism is very complicated, only tourism management alone has many organizations and relevant laws. The Ministry of Tourism and Sport does not have power on commanding every related organization. For example, the logistics issues need the integration between the tourism organizations and the transportation organization, the tourists’ safety and human trafficking issues need the integration between the tourism organizations and the Royal Thai Police. Shallow planning caused the first national tourism development plan to be unsuccessful although it seems to be very familiar with Thailand’s tourism industry.. 27. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(37) The failure of the first plan led to the direction of the Thailand Tourism Strategy 2015 2017. The purpose of this strategy is defined in three respects. First, to lay the foundation of development in the short, medium, and long term to the preparation of the National Tourism Development Plan 2017 - 2021. Second, to focus on necessary activities that need to be implemented within the next three years. Third, to prioritize the improving mechanism to drive Thailand to be a quality destination by setting relations between each level and each province tourism mechanism (Ministry of Tourism and Sport, 2015). The agenda of improving Thailand to be a quality destination became more explicit in this plan. It states that the next stage of Thailand tourism would not focus only on the increase of. 治政 expenditure per trip. Moreover, aiming for sustainable tourism, 大 the development plan must be 立 local communities and consider the possible side effects widespread to include more potential visitors but also pay attention to increase the length of stay and tourism receipts per capita. ‧ 國. 學. that may happen to locals’ society, culture, and environment (Ministry of Tourism and Sport, 2015). This plan shifts the tourism performance measurement from the quantitative measurement. ‧. to multidimensional measurement and starts the marketing plan based on demand in the market. Compared to the previous tourism development plan, this plan was written with a clearer. Nat. sit. n. al. er. io. destination:. y. agenda, goal, and plan. It sets six frameworks to push Thailand to become a quality leisure. Ch. 1. Higher Tourist & Stakeholder Satisfaction 2. Environment Protection. engchi. i n U. v. 3. Seasonality Expansion 4. Income Distribution 5. Higher Revenue 6. Sustainable Growth. To respond to the framework, it set three dimensions of goal to reach by 2017: socially, economically, and environmentally. Socially, it expects Thailand to earn more tourists’ and stakeholders’ satisfaction and improve the international ranking of safety, sustainable. 28. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(38) environment, and sanitation. Economically, it expects Thailand to earn 2.5 trillion baht from the tourism industry by 2017 and increased the number of provinces that earn more than 5 million baht per year from the tourism industry. Environmentally, it expects Thailand to increase tourists during the low season and limited the number of visits to fragile tourist attractions. Finally, it concludes the strategy for reaching the goals also in three dimensions: tourism marketing, products and services development, and tourism management (Ministry of Tourism and Sport, 2015). Tourism Marketing The imbalance of Thailand tourism from the dramatic growth in the last few years caused. 政治大. insufficient support and affected the natural environment negatively. Also, the concentration of. 立. tourism income in only five provinces may cause significant impact to tourism growth and the. ‧ 國. 學. national economy once there was any crisis, for instance, the Tsunami in 2004, Thailand floods in 2011, or several Bangkok political protests. When important tourism provinces like Bangkok. ‧. or Phuket were in trouble, the national tourism industry will also become stagnant. The tourism marketing aims to rebrand Thailand under the old classic brand ‘Amazing Thailand’ and. sit. y. Nat. repositioning the country from ‘Variety and Value for Money Destination’ to the ‘Quality. io. er. Leisure Destination’. Additionally, market restructuring will allow Thailand to expand the industry to High-Value Tourism, which is the tourism for the upper-middle class. Their. n. al. i n U. v. characteristics are being interested in the local culture, having high purchasing power, and. Ch. engchi. making low impact on places they visit. Lastly, rebalancing between ‘economic, social, and environment’ and ‘majority and secondary destinations’. Products and Services Development Due to the massive number of tourists and persisting trends, it is a challenge for Thailand to develop its products and services with high quality and international recognition. In this sense, destination product and service development need to be accelerated within the term of this plan. This part proposes five development strategies as follows:. 29. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(39) 1. Spatial Development Strategy This strategy is actually the setting of the Tourism Development Zone, which was specified in the National Tourism Policy Act but was not clearly defined in the National Tourism Development Plan 2012 - 2016. It includes five pilot zones, three additional zones, 12 secondary provinces, and eight border provinces. Pilot Zone a. Lanna Civilization Tourism Development Zone b. West Coast Tourism Development Zone c. East Coast Tourism Development Zone. 政治大 Southern Isan Civilization Tourism Development Zone 立. d. Andaman Tourism Development Zone e.. ‧ 國. 學. Additional Zone. f. Central Chao Phraya River Tourism Development Zone. ‧. g. Mekong River Basin Lifestyle Tourism Development Zone h. Cultural Heritage Tourism Development Zone. y. Nat. sit. Secondary Province. n. al. er. io. i. Lampang, Nan, Phetchabun, Loei, Buriram, Samut Songkhram, Ratchaburi,. v. Chanthaburi, Trat, Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Trang Border Province. Ch. engchi. i n U. j. Tak Province, Mukdahan, Sa Kaeo, Trat, Songkhla, Chiang Rai, Nong Khai, and Satun. 2. Categorized Development Strategy This strategy is based on the tourists’ demand and interest, which can be seen as opportunities for Thailand. a. Health and Wellness Tourism b. Senior Tourism c. MICE 30. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(40) d. Green Tourism e. Sport Tourism f. Yacht Tourism g. Halal Tourism. 3. Tourism Facilitation Development Strategy This strategy is to accelerate the development of tourism facilities, especially in tourist destinations that can help increase the service quality. a. Pre-trip Accommodation Development. 治政 Media and Information Technology Development 大 at Tourism Destination 立 Expanding Tourist Service Center. b. Accommodation Development at Tourism Destination c.. 學. ‧ 國. d.. 4. Safety Development Strategy. ‧. This strategy aims to solve the safety problem for tourists. a. Prevent and suppress tourist scamming. Nat. sit. y. b. Promote cooperation between tourism business entrepreneur and guide to be a. er. io. part of taking care of tourists’ safety. c. Improve the performances of the tourist police and tourist service call center. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. d. Establish the fund for helping international tourists that experienced any loss or. engchi. damage which was not caused by negligence, intent or illegal acts of travelers e. Establish a court for tourists in the court of justice due to their limited time for staying in Thailand f. Improve the regulation and law of transportation safety by land, water, and air g. Impel forward toward the determination of service and tourism safety standard in all forms of tourism activities. 31. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(41) 5. Logistics System for Tourism Development Strategy a. Develop and repair facilities and environment to improve safety during the transportation b. Develop vehicles and public transportation system to be sufficient allowing tourists to access easily c. Develop an information technology system to support the trip’s transportation planning Tourism Management This subject focuses on the problem of governmental organization management and. 政治大. obsolete laws and regulations. The primary strategy of this part is the establishment of the. 立. Tourism Intelligence Center (TIC) to be the center of tourism information. TIC has a duty to. ‧ 國. 學. collect and develop the national tourism information system, provide the data to stakeholders, and adjust the related technology to improve the performance of the particular information. ‧. system. It also suggests that some tourism-related act should be reviewed and the government. er. io. sit. Nat. after this plan was published (Ministry of Tourism and Sport, 2015).. y. may consider enacting some more laws. However, there was no update on law and regulation. After the Thailand Tourism Strategy 2015 - 2017, Thailand’s tourism reverted to the. n. al. i n U. v. regular plan. The National Tourism Development Plan 2017 - 2021 was published in 2016. This. Ch. engchi. newest plan emphasizes that the growth of the middle class, aging society, low-cost airline, adoption of travel technology, tourism segment trend, and sophisticated experience expectation of tourists were crucial factors affecting the global tourism trend (Ministry of Tourism and Sport, 2016). It does not have a SWOT analysis. However, it provides some analysis that can be collected as Thailand strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, as shown in Table 5 below.. 32. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(42) Table 5: SWOT Analysis of Thailand Tourism Industry Based on Information from the National Tourism Development Plan 2017 - 2021 Strengths. -. -. High ranking of the best nation branding and high ranking in the tourism industry from many polls Vary, sufficient, and high-quality hotels and accommodations High score of tourists satisfaction after the trip Located in the center of the region, Thailand could become a hub of air transportation Variety of destinations in every region. 立. -. -. Weak logistics and transportation management and connectivity and low quality of services Low safety and hygiene during the trip Outdated laws and regulations and lousy law enforcement in some cases Declining tourist attractions Lack of technology integration in the tourism industry. 政治大. 學. ‧ 國. -. Weaknesses. Opportunities. -. sit. n. er. io. al. Higher competitive in the tourism industry Competition within the region Growing of competitors in the same region with similar products. -. Ch. y. -. Nat. -. The growing middle class and rising disposable income, especially in China and India The expansion of low-cost airlines Increasing of older travelers The shift in tourist behavior to the niche market in which Thailand has the ability Adoption of technology and electronic system Economic integration, international agreements, and other provisions. ‧. -. Threats. engchi. i n U. v. Source: Ministry of Tourism and Sport, National Tourism Development Plan 2017 -2021, 2016.. From Table 5, most of Thailand tourism industry’s weaknesses are the same from the first national tourism development plan and the Thailand Tourism Strategy 2015 - 2017. Thailand’s performance on laws and regulation, safety, and environmental sustainable still ranks very low both in the international and regional rankings. Problems of sustainability, hygiene, safety, declining destination, logistics, and tourist concentration still exist (Ministry of Tourism and Sport, 2016). In one way, it can be seen that five years are not enough to resolve all these. 33. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.

(43) problems. In another way, it can also be seen that Thailand recognized and tried to resolve the problems only on paper for five years but rarely took any action physically. From my point of view, those problems that have been noticed since 2012 are problems of Thailand tourism until this year. The plans’ directions and the existence of problems are a paradox. To illustrate, the tourism development committees are trying to promote the secondary destinations to distribute income and tourism development to other potential areas but it is difficult for international tourists to get to those destinations without a good quality public transportation system. As well as unsafe and unhygienic conditions, outdated laws and regulations, and declining tourist attractions — these are factors which hinder national tourism. 治政 enough to impel related 大. development. The same weaknesses of the 2012 and 2017 development plans emphasize that the approach is probably not strong. 立. organizations to operate the. development plan. However, the statistical data shows that Thailand tourism was still growing. ‧ 國. 學. even though problems remained unsolved. This situation may be the result of the ignorance of government officers and organizations. Also, the existence of problems shows that the lack of. ‧. integration is still the main problem although it is not stated on the plan.. The National Tourism Development Plan 2017 - 2021 also presents that, from Thailand’s. Nat. sit. y. point of view, China, United Kingdom, Australia, and the Maldives are countries that have the. er. io. highly successful tourism development plan due to their visitors' arrivals, international tourism receipts, ranking on TTCI, and the significance of the tourism industry to their economies.. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. Thailand sees Japan as a role model due to its variety of tourist attractions and unique cultures. engchi. similar to Thailand. Thailand could learn from Japan on how they intersperse their tourism destinations in many regions and how they distribute transportation and facilities to locals. Meanwhile, Malaysia and Singapore are seen as competitors in the region. Malaysia is promoting its tourism industry and rapidly growing. What Thailand can learn from Malaysia is its successful ecotourism and long term tourism. Singapore has a good image from being ranked on many international tourism rankings. Its government is the strongest supporter on various megaprojects that invests in facilities and tourism attractions. Thailand can learn from Singapore on how it reaches the goals of its tourism development plan, how it manages its tourism industry and marketing plan, and how it develops itself as a quality destination.. 34. DOI:10.6814/NCCU201900683.