Thailand was voted the most attractive nation in Southeast Asia for investment in the hospitality industry at the Asia Pacific Hotel Investment Conference, thanks to the country’s strong infrastructure and ongoing tourism boom.
Myanmar was ranked second, followed by Indonesia, Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The vote session via mobile phone was part of the two-day forum in Bangkok, which started yesterday. About 200 hotel executives and property owners across the Asia-Pacific region joined in the vote. Kevin Beauvais, co-founder and chief executive officer of Zinc/InVision Hospitality, based in Bangkok, was not surprised by the result. He said Thailand had remained more attractive for hospitality investment than other countries in the region, even as new countries like Myanmar emerge.
Its competitive edge over rivals comes from its stronger infrastructure such as airport facilities and ground transport. Its performance will be much improved by the big investment on basic infrastructure initiated recently by the government, he said.
The tourism boom is a key component. The number of foreign tourists is expected to increase to 24 million this year, a mammoth leap from 3 million 15 years ago.
However, Beauvais said the government should not focus only on attracting “quality” tourists. The mass tourist market should be promoted as well because there is a large supply of hotel rooms across the country to serve them. Chanin Donavanik, managing director and CEO of Dusit International, agreed that the investment climate, especially laws, for the hospitality industry in Thailand helped persuade foreign players to invest here.
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Source: Bamrung Amnatcharoenrit (2013). Thailand tops hotel investment poll, The Nation http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Thailand-tops-hotel-investment-poll-30206227.html? published May 16, 2013. Viewed May 20, 2013,