Survey: Thais No Longer as Hospitable Makes Thailand Visits No Longer Pleasant by Phairath Khampha 29 September 2001 The famous friendliness of Thai people has diminished in the eyes of foreign tourists, and today the country is second only to Vietnam in offering a warm welcome, according to a recent survey. "That is a negative sign for our country. Thai people should regain their reputation for friendliness," said Juthamas Siriwan, Tourism Authority of Thailand's deputy governor, on September 11, 2001. The TAT disclosed the results of the survey, carried out by the Leo Burnett advertising agency in four major markets: UK, Germany, Taiwan, and Singapore. She said Thai people used to be perceived as the friendliest in the world - and this proved to be a major magnet in attracting tourists. But this latest survey has shown shortcomings in the country's tourism industry, she said. The long immigration process at the Don Muang International Airport is described as "inconvenient" by many tourists arriving here. Juthamas said a leading Japanese travel agency, JTB, complained that the immigration process at the airport takes too long. But the survey also found that the slogan, 'Amazing Thailand', is well recognised by many foreign tourists. Diversity, Thai food and shopping were also praised by foreign tourists as major assets. And she continued to be optimistic that the country could reach its target of 10.3 million tourist arrivals this year, and tourist revenues of 320 baht billion. It was reported on the same day that international visitor arrivals to Thailand rose by nearly eight per cent to more than five million in the first half of 2001. Growth was particularly strong from the Middle East and Africa, with arrivals from those regions up 22.5 per cent and 15 per cent respectively, the TAT said. Japanese visitors led the way, accounting for 12.2 per cent of arrivals, followed by Malaysians, Taiwanese, Chinese and Singaporeans. Interestingly, a disproportionate number of the arrivals were male--much, much more than at airports in other countries. However, the TAT also said an increase in the numbers of children and senior citizens travelling to Thailand showed that "the country's image is changing positively". Thailand has worked hard to downplay its reputation as a haven for sex tourists by promoting the destination to female travellers and families. In a revamp of its image-making procedures, the TAT said it would appoint a new advertising agency by the middle of October 2001. Seventeen Thai agencies were in the running for the contract. Juthamas said the findings from the recent survey - even the negative ones - would help the TAT's new campaign.