When people have money in their pockets, they forget about their conflicts. This simple rationale sums up Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s historic “… “Tourism for Peace” is the core objective of the visit.
Under the slogan “Traveling South with Heart”, the Prime Minister visited Islamic mosques, Chinese shrines and Buddhist temples, local museums, and markets, gaining an in-depth understanding of local culture and food, and enjoying aboriginal music and dance performances. It aims to promote multicultural coexistence, transcend years of local ethnic conflicts, and focus on the economic benefits of making the Muslim-majority province a true geographical bridgehead between North and South ASEAN.
He cemented Thailand’s status as the world’s first “Alliance of Civilizations destination” (as I designated it) and delivered on a core promise in his policy statement to Parliament upon taking office in September 2023: “Thailand will Promote world peace and global common interests, and properly manage geopolitical situations. A few days later, he reiterated his pursuit of peace in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The visit marks a clear shift in Thai government policy from repression and is in line with the country’s desire to improve its international status and enhance Thailand’s “soft power” through “active economic diplomacy.” It also takes the definition of sustainability to the next level, sending a message to the travel and tourism industry in Thailand and around the world that building peace and harmony is more important than recycling plastic and reducing food waste.
In an era of increasing geopolitical and economic turmoil, Thailand’s leaders have shown that “P” (peace) must take precedence over the planet, people, prosperity and partnerships. In this sequence, profitability is a foregone conclusion.
Accompanying the Prime Minister were Ms. Sudawan Wangsuphakitosol, Minister of Tourism and Sports, Ms. Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Director of Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mr. Suriya Juangroongruangkit, Minister of Transport, Mr. Police Colonel Thawee Sodsong, Minister of Justice, Mr. Sermsak Phongpanich, Minister of Culture and Deputy Minister of Thailand.
In comments echoed around the country, the prime minister made clear why he was spending three days touring southern Thailand. In other words: Southern Thailand is where Islamic, Chinese and Buddhist cultures and cuisines meet. Combined with its natural beauty, it is ideally suited to promoting tourism as a conduit for economic prosperity and job creation for the emerging generation.
At the same time, he pledged that the government would make every effort to seriously address underlying social, cultural and racial tensions. He said at one of the stops: “In the past year, the problem of unrest has decreased significantly. This government has canceled the Immigration 6 form for inbound tourists from Malaysia, which has caused the number of inbound tourists to increase from an average of 10,000 on weekends to more than 30,000. This will promote Tourism and merchandise sales, bringing more income to the local people when people have money in their pockets, they will forget about their conflicts and I hope this will be the starting point for many good things in the future.
As a businessman, he saw opportunities everywhere, starting with infrastructure and amenities. He said cross-border travel with Malaysia would be facilitated by improving procedures at customs and immigration checkpoints, and upgrading highways and airports.
In Pattani, the local community requested support for the establishment of a museum and marketing assistance for its local products and handicrafts. After tasting local street food, especially halal food made by female entrepreneurs, he said the government will promote the establishment of a halal industry center to make Thailand the “halal kitchen of the world.” He heard that the local tradition of brassware making was disappearing as craftsmen aged, and said he would discuss with the Ministry of Culture how to preserve and revive the tradition.
He tasted local desserts and asked if some of the dishes could be included in Thai Airways’ business class menu. He visited TK (Thailand Knowledge) Park and offered to help commercialize ideas and inventions. After visiting a Chinese temple, he said the Ringak Bird Festival could be promoted like the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. He visited Ban Khun Phithak Raya, a 170-year-old house that is still in its original condition, and said it was worthy of being adapted into a historical documentary.
The prime minister admitted that his visit to the Kruse Mosque and Pattani Central Mosque was his first time entering a mosque. “I was deeply impressed by the smiles and kindness with which the citizens welcomed me. I saw peace and tranquility in the eyes of all. I saw the beauty of the Pattani Central Mosque that was built a long time ago. Let it become a tourist attraction, Not only to visit, but also to facilitate (inter-religious) discussions among religious leaders, at the Museum of Islamic Cultural Heritage and Quranic Learning Center, the Prime Minister had his name engraved in Arabic calligraphy and presented a hand-painted portrait.
His entourage also played a role. The Minister of Tourism and the Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand both respectfully put on their headscarves when visiting the mosque (pictured below). Governor Mrs Tapani has posted a series of daily updates on her popular social media platforms. Immediately after the visit, the Tourism Authority of Thailand released sample travel itineraries for the three provinces.
In terms of deliverables, the visit ticked all the boxes on the national, subregional, regional and global target lists.
Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces are located in one of the most geostrategic regions in Asia. Resolving the conflict there is critical to the future of Thailand, ASEAN and Asia as a whole.
Tourism is no longer just an economic driver for Thailand, but a source of national security. Over the years, Thailand has recognized that man-made conflict is the main cause of peace-destroying crises. Precisely because conflict is man-made, it can be both resolved and prevented. In this regard, Thailand has at least one bright spot. In the 1980s, Thailand’s northeast was a hotbed of communist insurgency and the country’s poorest region. Today, northeastern Thailand has become an important geostrategic bridgehead with neighboring countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion, especially Laos and Cambodia.
Likewise, southern Thailand is the main bridgehead for connectivity with the entire southern ASEAN region, via neighboring Malaysia and then overland to Singapore. If maritime borders are included, peace in southern Thailand will boost trade, transport and tourism between the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle and the entire BIMST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation) region.
The visit is also a follow-up to last January’s diplomatic rapprochement with Saudi Arabia, which followed a 32-year rift caused by violence and crimes against Saudi diplomats, businessmen and members of the Saudi royal family. Now, Saudi investors are looking for a place to park their money in Asia, making the Muslim-majority Thai province a natural magnet. It also improves Thailand’s status with the Organization of Islamic Countries (which has observer status) and has the potential to improve Thailand’s ranking in the Global Muslim Travel Index. This, in turn, will attract more tourists from the Islamic world.
Finally, it achieves all the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In an era where VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Conflict and Ambiguity) has become the new normal, it sends a clear message to countries like Myanmar and India where anti-Muslim bias has been institutionalized, to build inclusivity and respect for minorities Groups are a difficult task. Thailand is showing the way.
It would be easy to cynically view the visit as a political stunt designed to boost the fortunes of the prime minister, who is widely seen as a stand-in for Thaksin Shinawatra, the real leader of Pheu Thai. It could also be dismissed as an attempt to shore up support for the Southern People’s Party. This hidden agenda may be lurking behind the scenes, but is masked by positive outcomes. The Prime Minister fulfilled his duties and did what he was paid to do.
Now comes the hard part – managing the coming gold rush.
Southern Thailand today is very similar to other coastal tourist destinations such as Phuket and Koh Samui in the 1980s. Thailand does not have a good track record in managing destinations. This shortcoming is of wider importance in southern Thailand, where environmental protection will serve as an adjunct to the management of delicate socio-cultural relationships. New governance and communication systems and pipelines may need to be established to ensure that one set of issues is not superseded by another. The area remains a tinder box. Investors eager to profit from land grabs need to be very careful not to disrupt the peace with negative business practices such as corruption and exploitation.
In the coming years, this next case will serve as a great pilot test case for students who are serious about tourism management and development and its role in maintaining peace, strengthening national security and promoting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The visit also highlighted a glaring gap in global media and foreign diplomatic coverage of the situation in southern Thailand. It went so well that it received zero global coverage from mainstream media. If a security-related incident or attack occurs, there will be a heavy media presence, and travel warnings will be issued thick and fast by the foreign diplomatic community.
Source: Travel Impact News Service
- Under the slogan “Traveling South with Heart”, the Prime Minister visited Islamic mosques, Chinese shrines and Buddhist temples, local museums, and markets, gaining an in-depth understanding of local culture and food, and enjoying aboriginal music and dance performances. It aims to promote multicultural coexistence, transcend years of local ethnic conflicts, and focus on the economic benefits of making the Muslim-majority province a true geographical bridgehead between North and South ASEAN.
- He heard that the local tradition of brassware making was disappearing as craftsmen aged, and said he would discuss with the Ministry of Culture how to preserve and revive the tradition.
- The visit marks a clear shift in Thai government policy from repression and is in line with the country’s desire to improve its international status and enhance Thailand’s “soft power” through “active economic diplomacy.”
