A “Politically Incorrect” webinar on Thailand tourism evolution

Thailand is a top tourism destination for travelers around the world. The Asian kingdom has been keen to capitalize on its exotic image for many years, an excellent service and a genuine sense of welcome. However, it seems that Thailand is currently struggling to transform its tourism offer to further capitalize on its assets. It is a worrying trend as tourism in Thailand represents over 10% of the country’s GDP.

A webinar about the future of Thai tourism will take place on July 18 by veteran journalist and specialist of Thailand tourism, Imtiaz Muqbil. He is one of the longest serving travel trade journalists in Southeast Asia.

The webinar will be the first of a new series of travel & tourism webinars designed to broaden the focus of industry discourse to cover “Politically Incorrect” subjects. Muqbil describes a “Politically Incorrect” webinar as one which “goes beyond the
traditional comfort zones, steers clear of mambo-jumbo sloganeering, and promotes an honest, intellectually-stimulating, respectful and productive discussion of issues that matter.”

“Current industry forums are an insult to the intelligence of participants,” Muqbil tells. “The topics all steer clear of anything even remotely controversial for fear of upsetting the organizers and/or sponsors. The speakers all land up saying the same thing. The questions are whetted and routed via moderators or through apps where they can be selectively chosen. Does that contribute to a productive, interactive session? I don’t think so.”

Webinar coming at the right time for Thailand

July 18 on the topic of “What Next for Thai Tourism? – Life After 65” comes to the right time.  “Thailand ended the first half of 2025 with visitor arrivals of 16.7 million, down -4.6% over the first half of 2024. What was once the leading tourism destination in Asia is now one of the worst performing. A desperate industry is working overtime to crank up the numbers. However, it is only treating the symptoms. The root causes run much deeper, building up for years. Mainly because officials kept them under the table.”

Unfortunately, he says, the Thai tourism industry is still failing to ask itself some critical “Politically Incorrect” questions, such as:
–  Is it repeating all its past mistakes?
– As an ageing destination, what “health & wellness” therapies are required?
– Is the Tourism Authority of Thailand on the right track?
– Is the industry leadership ready and up to the mark?

Adds Muqbil further: “I go to dozens of industry forums where the same old line-up of “visionary, thought-leaders” rehash the same old textbook solutions. Travel & Tourism deserves better. As the industry is constantly talking about change, its own discussion forums must mature and change, too.”

The July 18 session will include a carefully-researched analysis of visitor arrivals over the first six months from 75 source markets, which provides clear indicators of where the future marketing opportunities lie. A discussion of the “Politically Incorrect” topics will look at underlying, long-term solutions.

Because the webinar’s core strength is that it is independent and unsponsored, participants will have to pay to cover the costs of research, organization and analysis. Registration can be done by clicking here.

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