Thailand is a big magnet for tourists. In fact, the kingdom is among the few countries that others become envious about when talk turns to tourism.
There is, for example, the world class diving spot off Koh Tao in Surat Thani province. Two British backpackers were killed here on Sept 15. David Miller was brutally murdered and Hannah Witheridge was killed and raped on Sairee beach on this picturesque island.
The Andaman coast also offers one of the best places in the kingdom for snorkelling, with the kind of crystal clear water that is hard to find in other places on this planet. On Oct 19, a pleasure trip for foreign and Thai tourists to Koh Phi Phi off Krabi province turned to tragedy when their speed boat crashed into a fishing trawler on the way back to Phuket from the islands. The collision injured 45 people on board — but sadly also killed two tourists from South Korea. Their bodies were found three days later.
Beauty and tragedy — these examples are more than enough to show tourism officials just what their priority should be as they launch publicity campaigns to lure visitors to this country.
The tourism sector has taken a big hit from the political unrest, the street protests, the military coup and martial law. Such things tend to scare people away.
We have witnessed 17.5 million foreign visitors during the first nine months of this year, but that's a sharp drop of 10% from the same period last year, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry. Its visitor arrivals projection for year-end is a maximum of 25.5 million foreign tourists, which is a 3.9% decline overall from last year.
Because of the coup, there are no more political quarrels - for now, at least. The coup itself is history now the top brass have set up a government with themselves in prominent roles.
'Tragedy in Thailand', an episode of the popular TV show A Current Affair on Australia's Channel 9 network, accused Thai police of injustice and corruption.
But martial law remains, and the National Council for Peace and Order has given no indication of lifting it in the near future.
Martial law is hurting business, but the country and those who depend on tourism must live with it regardless. It will eventually end - it is just a matter of time.
Yet what is more worrying for tourists than the enforcement of martial law is safety. Tourism officials have embarked on campaigns largely to promote Thai culture, food and attractions to foreign countries with a message that this country is an exotic place to visit and experience.
But what happened on Koh Tao - among other recent problems - has provided a serious wake-up call to the one crucial fact that has been long ignored here - the safety of tourists. The deaths of the two Britons has had an enormous effect.
Like other issues here, tourism involves many agencies - from the police, to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Tourism and Sports Ministry and more, including the Interior and Transport ministries on down to local administration organisations. And like other problems in this country, they are hardly in sync as one agency after another sets out its own strategies and measures.
Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul knows that well and admits the problem. What she is trying to do is to make all agencies work as a team with a focus for the rest of the year of ensuring the safety of tourists coming to this country.
That is easier said than done, although Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has also made it clear that he wants to see better measures to protect tourists in the wake of the Koh Tao murders. Bringing together all agencies with their own little fiefdoms and getting them to sit down and work along the same lines needs serious backup from the top.
The government should put the safety of tourists on top of the national agenda, with the tourism minister or whoever calling the shots and sending the message to other agencies, and to the world, that Thailand is indeed serious about revamping laws, rules and measures for not only foreign but also local tourists.
All aspects of Thailand are promoted by those responsible for tourism, but the safety of tourists is one thing they have not taken seriously before. That needs to change.
Saritdet Marukatat is digital media news editor, Bangkok Post.