6 Jul 2026
To Reinvent Thai Tourism, Remove and Reset the Communications Silos
Bangkok – What do the Siam Society, the Association of Thai Travel Agents, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thai-Muslim Trade Association, the OTOP Fair and a TravelTech event have in common?
On the surface, nothing. But upon closer look, a lot.
In the past two weeks, I have covered six events of critical importance to Thai Travel & Tourism, as follows:
(+) 24 June 2026, the annual general meeting of the Siam Society, Thailand’s pre-eminent cultural institution, of which I am a Life Member.
(+) 25-27 June, the One Tambon One Product (OTOP) fair, the largest bi-annual showcase of 100% indigenously-made, community-based products from all over Thailand. “Tambon” means “district” in Thai.
(+) 29 June, the monthly meeting of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, the grouping of inbound tour operators and one of Thailand’s most important private sector travel associations.
(+) 30 June, the launch of the Thailand Health Excellence, a TAT-supported event to rally medical institutions, academic organisations, and wellness providers around the new campaign “Healing is the New Luxury.”
(+) 1-2 July, Travel & Tech Asia, organised by VNU Asia Pacific and supported by PATA, an annual event for suppliers of TravelTech products and services.
(+) 04 July, the annual general meeting of the Thai-Muslim Trade Association, the rapidly emerging grouping of young entrepreneurs in the Thai-Muslim community, particularly tourism services and halal products.
All were related one way or another to Thai Travel & Tourism. As stand-alone events, they were brimming with creativity. But their real value emerged only when their content was synergised and the creativity connected to forge new solutions for the crisis-hit Thai tourism sector.
How? Here are a few thoughts which came to mind:
(+) Can the Siam Society organise events on the theme of Thai Traditional Medicine, a vital part of Thai culture and heritage? That could potentially support the Thailand Health Excellence campaign.
(+) Can the Association of Thai Travel Agents work with the Thai-Muslim Trade Association to improve the quality of Muslim-friendly tours and promote exports of halal products and services? Joint research and product development campaigns would deliver huge win-win benefits.
(+) Can the TravelTech professionals help OTOP entrepreneurs improve their marketing and distribution? The revenue stream would be limitless.
(+) Can PATA offer a middle-man platform to link up these diverse sectors within Thailand and the PATA region at large?
Most certainly Yes, Yes and Yes. It’s called “Unity in Diversity,” a very common slogan adopted by countries, regions and communities.
All the diverse groupings and events are intricately linked and natural partners if they put their heads together in pursuit of common solutions. But they operate in silos, and their mindsets remain trapped in them.
The left hand has no idea what the right hand is doing.
There are hundreds of such institutions, organisations and associations in Thailand. All are directly or indirectly contributing to Thai tourism, which is no longer just a job-creator and economy-builder but, far more importantly, a pillar of national security.
Each side faces challenges for which the other side has a potential solution. All they have to do is communicate.
As I wandered through the megahalls of the OTOP fair, listened intently to presentations by the TravTech professionals, monitored the plans and strategies of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, and analysed the policies and priorities of the others, connecting the dots came easy.
Ideas gushed forth like a flood. The few listed above are just a fraction.
These days, too much taxpayer money, time and effort is being wasted on what I call superficial nip-and-tuck strategies which treat the symptoms and not the cause.
I am no expert in business management. But I am a great believer in pursuing simple solutions first via open-minded communications and listening respectfully to different perspectives.
Establishing such channels amongst diverse business and non-business sectors which are otherwise joined at the hip is a very cost-effective first step towards helping Thai tourism reinvent and restructure itself in this new era of high competition, constant change and volatility.
It is all about linking problems to solutions and aligning strengths with weaknesses.
Most important, it is all about redefining the word “Value” – not as in “Value over Volume” but the “Value of Creating Thinking.”