CEO of Amadeus Asia, David Brett, who has lived in Bangkok for the past 10 years, remains confident about Thailand's future but calls next few months pivotal.

David Brett, CEO of Amadeus Asia (pictured left), which maintains its headquarters in Bangkok, remains confident about Thailand's future, despite events of the past months.

"I'm confident that Thailand's future will be a bright one. I think if we can collectively commit to a strong recovery, then that's something we can definitely achieve."

He said the next few months would be pivotal. "Tourism will be an important sector to watch, we hope that visitor numbers will quickly lift as travellers return to inject cash and confidence back into the economy."

Even though recent events may have overshadowed what is considered Bangkok's greatest attraction – the warmth and generosity of its people, Brett said the most enticing elements of Bangkok have not gone away.

"We need to work hard to rebuild tourists' trust in Thailand and reinforce that this is a safe destination. But over time, the allure of Bangkok will be hard for many travelers to resist. At the same time, Bangkok is back to business-as-usual for corporations based here and our international guests."

Brett said the Amadeus office was once again "receiving visits from travel agents for training sessions, airlines coming for workshops, and our own staff visiting for internal meetings and training from around APAC and globally."

"We are pleased that all these guests can see for themselves that Thailand is back to business and functioning normally, and take this information back to their home countries to help boost confidence among business and leisure travellers/"

Brett, who's lived in Bangkok for 10 years, said that his greatest wish was for Thailand to move towards a future in which "everyone has the opportunity to thrive and live harmoniously."

"Thailand is an amazing place, it is my home, and I hope to see it realise its full potential as a tourist destination and a place to live and work, for the benefit of all the Thai people."

Saying that it has been a very difficult and saddening period for everyone in Bangkok and Thailand, he added that people were relieved to once again have a sense of normality in their everyday lives.

"We will never forget what happened in these recent months and it will take some time for Bangkok and Thailand to recover. But I'm very glad that most importantly our employees are all unharmed, and we have been able to maintain our business operations throughout this period in order to service our customers without disruption."

He said there was a very positive spirit towards helping recovery. "I've been astounded at the enthusiasm of the volunteers who have put in so much effort over recent days to get Bangkok's streets cleaned up. It's amazing to witness this Thai spirit really coming to the fore. It has reminded us all why we love Thailand so much."

Yeoh Siew Hoon, one of Asia's most respected travel editors and commentators, writes a regular column on news, trends and issues in the hospitality industry for 4Hoteliers.com.

Siew Hoon, who has covered the tourism industry in Asia/Pacific for the past 20 years, runs SHY Ventures Pte Ltd. Her other writings can be found at www.thetransitcafe.com. Get your weekly cuppa of news, gossip, humour and opinion at the cafe for travel insiders.

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