Risk & Crisis Management in Tourism Sector:
Recovery from Crisis
in the OIC Member Countries
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Tourism is given strategic direction in Thailand by national tourism development plans. The plan
covering the period 2012-16 emphasised improvement of the country’s image so as to boost,
increasing the confidence of tourists in Thailand as a safe, clean and welcoming place to visit
(Pongponrat, pers. comm., 6April 2017). Actions taken to implement these policies include a review
of safety standards and regulations concerning transportation on lakes, rivers and the sea;
becoming the first Asian country to join in with global efforts to clean up the oceans; and launching
a ‘Good Host’ programme to maintain and improve standards of hospitality across the industry
(TAT News online, n/d).
5.3.4. Critical Success Factors in Resilience of Thai tourism
Analysis of Thai tourism and its responses to crises suggest a number of critical success factors
which have enabled the industry not only to survive but to recover and increase its key indicators
(arrivals and earnings) rather quickly. These factors are as follows:
 Thailand’s long history of tourism, its integration into other economic sectors in the
country, and early efforts to diversify both product and market, meaning that any
weakness in one area could be compensated by strengths in another.
 Strong government support for the industry (from macro to micro level), including
providing access to finance and tax incentives. In 2010, for instance, the government
gave tax incentives for companies hosting trade shows, while Thai residents were given
an income tax reduction on travel-related expenditure (PwC, 2015).
 Effective campaigns by TAT to manage market perceptions in the aftermath of crises,
for instance by setting up telephone hotlines to give up-to-date and accurate
information and seeking favourable publicity through influential media with an
international profile such as CNN and the BBC. TAT has used its official website to inform
prospective visitors about the functioning of tourism services and infrastructure in the
immediate aftermath of various crises including the 2004 tsunami, the political
upheaval of 2010, and the floods of 2011. Beirman (2016) comments that the reliability
of the information helped to build a solid reputation for TAT and for tourism in Thailand
general, and was integral to recovery from these events.
 In the longer term, TAT has introduced new communications campaigns to create a
positive image and attract more diverse and high-end markets, characterised as ‘quality
rather than quantity’. After the global financial crisis they launched an international
campaign called “Amazing Thailand, Amazing Value”, a claim confirmed by a survey
which found Thailand was the best value destination in Asia-Pacific in 2009
(Campiranon and Scott, 2014), while after the 2014 military coup the campaign slogan
was “Amazing Thailand, Grand Sale”, with discounts for tourists in more than 15,000
shopping malls, department stores, and restaurants (PwC, 2015). In 2015 the campaign
was “Discover Thainess”, addressing the demand for experiential tourism. The
organisation is adept at winning publicity in unlikely ways: for instance in 2015 a TAT-
led team won first prize in the Sapporo ‘Snow Sculpture’ contest for its ice sculpture of
a tuk-tuk (a small motorized passenger vehicle, ubiquitous in Southeast Asia).