Thailand was recently named the world's fourth most beautiful country by the World of Statistics, and Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin couldn't hide his excitement.
Taking to X to share the news, the premier wrote, "I am proud that Thailand has recently been ranked as the fourth most beautiful country in the world, only after New Zealand, Greece and Italy, by World of Statistics. Apart from our natural beauties, there is enormous cultural heritage, lively destinations such as the bustling streets of Bangkok and serene white sand beaches of Phuket, as well as wonderful historical sites of Ayutthaya.
"Thailand has everything the heart desires to offer. Do come and be amazed!" he added.
Mr Srettha's decision to highlight the distinction was understandable. The country has been hit by a series of bad news in recent weeks -- from sluggish economic growth to opinion polls that are unkind to the prime minister and the Pheu Thai Party -- so he is desperate for some feel-good news, and the survey suited his needs.
The World of Statistics, which is listed on Facebook as a personal blog, relies on data and statistics from other media channels. In this instance, it recycled information from US News, which first came up with the rankings after surveying over 17,000 people globally from March 17 to June 12.
Each polling agency has its own means of collecting information and making sense of the data in its surveys. This is the reason why Australia -- not New Zealand -- was named the world's most beautiful destination by Conde Nast Traveler, followed by Mexico, Brazil and the US.
While it is natural for the PM to pin his hopes on the tourism sector, given its relatively strong performance compared to other sectors, the government shouldn't rest on its laurels.
Instead, it should focus on tackling the problems that are stopping the country from becoming the world's best tourism destination.
Is he aware of the bullying of tourists by illegal transport providers in many tourist destinations?
To this day, many taxi drivers still refuse to turn on their meter when they are stopped by tourists, and the city's tuk-tuk drivers are notorious for overcharging tourists and their daredevil stunts. On top of that, many tourist attractions in the country are in dire need of attention and care.
The cost of living in Thailand has risen sharply, with the World Bank recently naming it the third most expensive country in Southeast Asia.
These factors do not bode well for the country's tourism sector, so it is time for Mr Srettha to put the revitalisation of the sector on the national agenda.
Bleaching, for instance, is threatening many coral reefs across the East and South.
Without action, the country's coral reefs will die off at an alarming rate, robbing the country's coastal areas of their main tourist draws.
PM2.5 pollution also needs to be taken care of, so the government needs to move away from ad hoc measures to tackle the annual problem, which threatens to repel tourists from the country.
The ruins of Ayutthaya, a Unesco World Heritage site, are also threatened by a high-speed rail project that will link the capital and Nakhon Ratchasima.
The government should find a way to balance cultural preservation and development. These examples show Mr Srettha and his men and women can still do better.