Why the Thai Tourism Industry needs to support cable TV

Editor;

It’s only TV...right? The very simple answer is - no.

Take a moment to think about it...close your eyes. Imagine you are overseas, in Thailand, on business or holiday. You want to know what’s going on in the world. You turn on the TV and what do you get? Thai language news programmes, Thai soap operas or shows and a few foreign language channels.

Satisfactory? Depends on your language skills and what foreign language programmes are available. But the idea of no English language news station to readers of this paper and educated Thais would be a real step back into the dark ages. And this is the real danger if UBC, the only national cable TV operator in Thailand, which is currently down sizing and restructuring to reduce crippling losses, goes out of business.

This would be a disaster for the Tourism industry. We constantly battle against international competition both world wide and close to home in Asia, pitching against the techno-savvy Singaporeans and venues like Hong Kong.

TV for a hotel or resort guest has become more than just a luxury item in the room. It’s a part of modern life and instant access to news and entertainment programmes is no longer optional -it’s as essential as a bed in the room.

The predicament that UBC is currently faced with should be of concern to all connected with the tourism industry. A Bt300 billion industry is in danger of losing an essential supplier. A service that in my mind is an integral part of a guest’s expectations, one they equate with quality accommodation and service.

And the dilemma - a monopolistic industry that can offer no real alternative to UBC.

A number of free-to-air channels and Thai TV - sure. But quality entertainment, sport, movies, news in English? No.

What of all the entertainment places, bars and pubs that regularly advertise special sporting events? Without cable access, many of these events cannot be shown live. In this industry if it’s not live coverage then forget it.

Then there’s the question of advertising. It’s often a personal choice that some like others don’t. For me, if it means sensible charges, limited to a reasonable number of minutes per hour and enables cable TV in Thailand to survive, then I’m for it. Better than the endless stream of gap fillers and ‘lift music’ we have to currently endure.

Lets face it, if we wanted a quick social snapshot of the times we live in, I suggest no better medium more clearly reflects the world today than advertising. It is the finger on the pulse of society, reflecting current lifestyles and trends.

Where advertising becomes intrusive is not necessarily the adverts themselves but the quantity in relation to the programming. I would suggest that this be restricted to be no more than 3-4 minutes at any one time, but this is again a personal view. Others would find even one minute of advertising too much.

As to the question why should we allow pay TV to earn revenue both from advertising and fees when public Thai TV does not? We only have to look at the quality of programming to understand that one of the players has substantially higher costs with imported programmes.

Does this mean that Thai TV is no good? Not necessarily; however, the programmes produced are often low budget studio based programmes, with a high degree of commercial sponsorship. In the context of satisfying the international visitor they fail. Thai TV, apart from the language barrier, has limited international appeal for these kinds of shows.

Finally the question of movies. Most good hotels have pay movies. So why have cable at all? The answer here is not every guest will want to pay and the time involved to watch a complete movie is limited. The most important reason of all, however, is the lack of news programmes.

Cable TV today is certainly just more than an option, it’s an essential service and I worry that if the present difficulties of UBC became insurmountable, then the country as a whole would suffer. Our tourism industry is a valuable foreign earner and UBC, or any cable operator, provide a valuable service that cannot be under estimated. The loss of this facility would have an impact on the quality of hospitality service we deliver. Therefore the tourism industry must stand firmly behind the cable operators to ensure they can continue to operate profitability and with longevity.

Andrew J Wood

General Manager

Royal Cliff Beach Resort

Editor;

In response to the so called “Frequent Farang” I can only surmise from his response to Mr. Jan Abbink and dual pricing that he is either a Frequent Thai or if he really is a farang he walks around Thailand with his eyes closed. Mr. Abbink’s letter was spot on and is aimed at making foreign tourists aware of the blatant rip-offs such as the 200 baht entrance fees to so-called National Parks. For one thing, many of these parks offer nothing more than maybe a small stream (waterfall?) or cave and are maybe worth a 20 baht entrance fee but certainly not 200 baht. How about Ko Samui, a National Park? How can a National Park be covered with bungalows and food carts? A 1000% increase to enter a National Park is outrageous (200 baht for foreigners versus 20 baht for locals) in this case or any other.

Believe it or not pal, tourists do stay away from these clip joints, if and when they are aware of this racist policy. Where does this writer get the idea that all tourists are rich as he seems to be or that there is a “dramatic difference in ability to pay”? What a crock. You’re “99% of all Thai’s couldn’t afford to get in” and “people (Thais) who make 1/20 of what a typical tourist earns” comments are way off the mark. If you are indeed frequent you obviously haven’t noticed the thousands of BMW’s, Mercedes Benzes, SUV’s etc. that clutter Thailand’s roads. Frequent Farang’s letter is indeed embarrassing to all foreigners looking for a fair shake. Let these rich bleeding hearts continue to pay the exaggerated prices to National Parks, Mini Siam, Crocodile Farm, Snake farm, Safari World, and plenty of others. I for one (and many like me) will continue to stay away until we are treated equally. There is plenty of other value in this country without these places. I for one welcome letters like the one from Mr. Abbink. Hopefully (but I doubt it) if enough negative feedback is generated the Thais running these so called businesses where tourists are ripped off will some day wise up.

Scott Benson

Pattaya