War room touted amid Vietnam rivalry

Thai hotel operators warn that competition with Vietnam will become fiercer this year, as more European and Russian tourists are expected to flock to the neighbouring country.

- MOLPASORN SHOOWONG

A pagoda decorated with millions of ceramic pieces woos visitors to the city of Da Lat in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The private sector would like the government to rethink tourism strategies to compete with emerging destinations.

(HUY THOAI)

This situation requires the new government to establish a tourism war room in collaboration with private sectors to plan a proactive tourism strategy.

Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, president of the Thai Hotels Association (THA), said the government and private stakeholders must take a more serious approach to analyse competitors like Vietnam and plan how to drive tourism and new investment this year.