Mixed feelings as the tourism industry struggles to get back on its feet
Pratheep S. Malhotra
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of
wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the
epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything
before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were
all going direct the other way. . .
These famous opening lines of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities more than
describe life in Thailand for the greater part of the past ten years. By the end
of 2013 and the first five months of this year, misunderstanding and hatred
threatened to drag our country to the brink of irreparable damage to our
culture, our lifestyles and most important, to our livelihoods.
Just when we thought that all was lost, out of the venomous haze of fear and
desperation, a knight in shining armour rode into the quagmire of dissent and
scorn, armed with faith and love for nation, religion and king, managed to pull
this country back from the brink of anarchy and bloodshed, promising to return
happiness back to the people.
One of the hardest hit segments of business hurt by the events in Thailand is
the travel and tourism business, suffering a slump like never experienced
before. Tourist numbers fell and occupancy in hotels caused reason for alarm.
Now as the smoke is clearing and the people of Thailand breathe a sigh of
relief, life and businesses are slowly but surely getting optimistic that the
future will be even brighter than before.
For more than a decade, general managers and top executives of hotels in Pattaya
and the Eastern Seaboard met on a regular basis for the purpose of not only to
build friendships with newcomers but also to strengthen bonds of camaraderie and
cooperation with their old friends and colleagues. This group dubbed the ‘GM
Gang’ is the brainchild of Chatchawal Supachayanont, general manager of the
Dusit Thani Pattaya who, back when he served as the president of the Thai Hotels
Association (Eastern Chapter), envisioned the coming together of a group of
like-minded professionals who could work together for the benefit of Pattaya and
the eastern region of Thailand.
The informal dinners are usually held at various hotels in Pattaya and this
latest get-together was arranged at the Holiday Inn Pattaya on September 25,
hosted by the charming and effervescent not to mention extremely talented Kate
Gerits, the general manager.
Kate
Gerits
Kate seemed thrilled as she welcomed her guests saying, “First and foremost I
would like to thank Khun Chatchawal for asking me to host a GM gang dinner. At
first I wasn’t very sure what it was all about being new to Pattaya, having
assumed my duties here for just a little over 7 months.”
Kate went on to say, “It is very nice to meet the other general managers,
particularly in the hospitality industry, as we all share a common purpose and
goal to bring people to Pattaya and to run great businesses. It’s nice to meet
like-minded people and share a meal together and be sociable, which of course
comes easy to people working in the hospitality industry.
“I think it’s a nice idea that we get together and of course we may not be able
to make it every month but certainly it’s nice to be able to see each other on a
regular basis. It’s a great idea that we are able to do this, so thank you Khun
Chatchawal for asking me to host, I appreciate it. This is also a great way of
getting to know our local community.”
Chatchawal
Supachayanont
In his opening remarks, GM Gang leader Chatchawal said, “It’s been quite a while
since our last meeting and that was because of a lot of things that were
happening in the country. The turbulent period badly affected commerce and the
day to day running or our businesses.
“Anyhow, I am extremely delighted Kate graciously accepted to host us. Thank you
very much for your extremely kind hospitality.”
Sanpech Supabowornsthian
During the dinner, president of the Thai Hotels Association (Eastern Chapter)
Sanpech Supabowornsthian (GM Long Beach Garden Hotel & Spa Pattaya) spoke of his
recent promotional trip to Russia. He did not have very good news regarding the
Russian tourist arrivals to Thailand.
“About 3 years ago the Russian market was the most important sector for us, but
I am sad to inform you that the tourism mart exhibition halls were practically
empty except for the exhibitors. This year we have seen a decrease of at least
50% of arrival numbers from that country.
“As you know I manage two hotels, the Long Beach Hotel and the Zign Hotel. Our
Russian guests prefer the Long Beach and the Koreans favour the Zign. Right now,
there seems to be some confusion regarding new regulations imposed on the Korean
tourist market to Thailand and therefore they are focusing on travelling to
other destinations.
“I am still optimistic about the Chinese and Indian markets, though they seem to
prefer budget hotels. But lately the trend indicates that the Chinese tourists
are now preferring to book rooms at luxury hotels.”
Matthew
Fryar
Matthew Fryar, director of operations of the Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa, also
a first timer, was full of optimism saying, “It’s very important for us to get
together and have some face time. We all have busy schedules but at the end of
the day, if we can sit across the table from one another and share a story or
two, touch on business, then this is really great. We are looking forward to a
really positive high season and whatever comes our way, we will always make the
best of it. We are professionals and experts in our field of work and can always
reinvent the wheel in some particular way to make it rotate.”
Rene
Pisters
Veteran hotelier Rene Pisters, GM of the Thai Garden Resort had this to say:
“We’ve heard about the dwindling Russian market and how it will affect the high
season. I returned a few days ago from a two-week sales trip to Germany. The
German agents are having a really hard time, their businesses plummeting by
20-30% as compared to last year. The Football World Cup had a negative bearing
on this trend, as during that period of football frenzy, very few people were
visiting travel agents preferring to stay home or in a pub to watch football on
TV.”
Rene continued, “Other factors that have had a negative impact on tourism were
the two ill-fated Malaysian Airlines flights, Ebola and the conflicts in the
Ukraine & the Middle East. Therefore the feedback I get is that, at the moment
there is no ‘mood’ to travel far.
“However, the travel sector will see that things are slowly and steadily
improving but unfortunately there will definitely be no growth in the German
market for this year.
“The unfortunate point is that if there is zero growth, which means the same
trade volume that we did last year, there will not be enough business to go
around, especially when you see expansions such as the second executive tower of
the Holiday Inn and the soon to be opened Mercure Hotel right next door.
“I think Pattaya now has more than 47,000 hotel rooms. That’s quite a large
number and more are coming. It is imperative that all concerned should sit
together and discuss the present situation and what the trends will be in the
near future.”
Peter
Malhotra
Peter Malhotra MD of Pattaya Mail Media Group and honorary member of the gang
shared his thoughts: “I have been listening with interest to what many of you
have been saying, and although I am not a hotelier, it hurts me too. I am a Thai
and have lived in Pattaya for forty years. My children are all born and bred
Pattayans.
“These are serious matters that have a severe effect on all of us, but I would
like to give you all a little encouragement. I know that things are not at their
best as they should be, but I ask you to think back a little in time.
“Those of you who have been here for 10 years or longer, must have seen constant
turmoil in our country. You saw demonstrations that went on for months on end.
Streets and many of your hotels had to close because they were in the vicinity
of the disturbances. Our country was on the verge of a shut-down. They were not
the very best of times indeed.
“But then someone brave steps up to the plate and goes to bat for our country,
declaring, ‘enough is enough, we have to bring this country back to where it
was, a land of smiles – a land of happiness - a land where people can strive to
carry on with their livelihoods, to be able to look after their families and
send their children to school without any fear of mental and physical harm.’
“We are going through a period of curing and healing. Sure it’s causing some
inconveniences, but it’s the bitter medicine that we must swallow if we are to
become healthy again.”
Danilo Becker (left), hotel manager of Thai Garden
Resort, meets with Terapan Chuaprasert, EAM of the Pattaya Marriott Resort &
Spa.
The Gang: Sittidej Rochnavibhata (Cape Dara),
Sanpech Supabowornsthian (GM Long Beach Garden Hotel & Spa Pattaya), Kate Gerits
(Holiday Inn Pattaya), Jitmanee Siravithayavanich (Way Hotel), Rene Pisters
(Thai Garden Resort), Chatchawal Supachayanont (Dusit Thani Pattaya), Danilo
Becker (Thai Garden Resort), Peter Malhotra (Pattaya Mail Media Group), Vanjie
Lauzon (Dusit Thani Pattaya) & Tony Malhotra (Pattaya Mail Media Group).
