Council urges effort to woo foreign retirees. Call for removal of regulatory barriers. The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) has urged the new government to establish the country as a destination for retirees, while calling for the removal of regulatory barriers pertaining to supply development. Bangkok Post

 Council urges effort to woo foreign retirees

The Tourism Council of Thailand recommends the country be promoted as an ideal destination for foreign retirees by offering health and wellness products which could attract high spending visitors.

The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) has urged the new government to establish the country as a destination for retirees, while calling for the removal of regulatory barriers pertaining to supply development.

The TCT and representatives from the Thai Sang Thai Party met on Wednesday to exchange their views on tourism development after the party held discussions with tourism associations in Phuket, Phangnga and Krabi on Tuesday.

Chamnan Srisawat, president of the TCT, said tourism development should be upgraded to a national agenda item, with a committee chaired by the prime minister to engage all related ministries.

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He said most of the regulations that require amendments fall under the responsibility of ministries other than the Tourism and Sports Ministry, such as hotel registration, which falls under the Interior Ministry, and natural resources at tourism destinations, which falls under the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry.

Mr Chamnan said the private sector agrees with the coalition government's vow to reform outdated laws and regulations, especially in terms of cutting redundant rules that hinder tourism development.

In terms of tourism promotion, TCT suggests reaping the benefits of being an increasingly ageing society by promoting Thailand as a preferred destination for retirees by offering health and wellness products, which could attract high spending visitors.

Former Federation of Thai Industries chairman Supant Mongkolsuthree, who is the economic chief of the Thai Sang Thai Party, said the delay in forming a new government is taking a toll on economic confidence and foreign investment.

As MPs-elect await endorsement from the Election Commission, the coalition government is attempting to pave the way for future work by listening to the opinions of stakeholders in various industries.

In addition to the plan to promote the country to foreign retirees, Mr Supant said the creation of a central booking platform combining tourism products such as hotels, restaurants and attractions is another solution aimed at increasing the benefits for local operators and avoiding the loss of a significant amount of revenue to foreign platforms.

Meanwhile, Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, leader of the Thai Sang Thai and a party-list MP-elect, said after holding the talks with the private sector in three southern provinces along the Andaman Coast that they had reached an agreement to take part in two working teams that the coalition would set up later to drive two policies.

The first mission is to establish a special Andaman tourism economic zone to accelerate infrastructure and tourism development with the aim of boosting tourism revenue to 1 trillion baht from the three provinces or almost double the current level of income.

She said the board of the committee for this economic zone would include public, private and community representatives to be solely responsible for economic development and investment, while other administration matters would remain under the responsibility of the provincial governor.

The second policy is to suspend around 1,400 laws and regulations that are proving to be impediments to business at present.

Mrs Sudarat said the eight parties in the coalition government agreed that this agenda should be pursued as soon as the government is able to begin its work.