Thai minister says Thai-Singapore spat will not affect bilateral tourism

The Straits Times, January 30, 2007


SINGAPORE - A diplomatic dispute between Thailand and Singapore over the ousted Thai prime minister's recent visit to the Republic will not affect tourism between the two countries, a Thai official said on Tuesday.

'Tourism is not a political matter,' said Suvit Yodmani, Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian tourism forum in Singapore.

'The numbers show that there's been an increase on both sides because it's completely apolitical.' 'This is what we are trying to do - to encourage our own people to travel inside (Thailand); we also encourage them to go abroad and at the same time we encourage people to come visit us,' Mr Yodmani said.

Diplomatic relations were strained when former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra visited Singapore earlier this month and met with the Republic's deputy prime minister.

Thailand called the meeting inappropriate and suspended a visit by Singapore's foreign minister. Singapore said Mr Thaksin's visit was a private one between old friends.

Mr Yodmani was among a number of tourism officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations who held talks in Singapore as part of a 12-day forum aimed at advancing regional integration in tourism. The forum began on Jan 26.

Asean countries attracted more than 56 million visitors last year, an 8 per cent increase from 2005 with countries like Cambodia, Laos and Thailand posting double-digit growth, the bloc said.

Asean comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.