Tourism industry likes Thaksin's ‘CEO governor' idea

Bangkok Post

18-07-2025

Tourism operators agree with former premier Thaksin Shinawatra's proposal for 'CEO governors' — a policy he introduced two decades ago with mixed results — but say there must be checks to ensure transparency and that work is carried out effectively.
The former premier dusted off the proposal on Thursday during a speech in which he made a number of proposals to revive the sluggish Thai economy. He said the CEO approach would enable provincial governors to set directions and strategies more independently.
Provincial governors are now appointed by the central government and supervised by the Interior Ministry to drive the central government's policies in their provinces.
Allowing them greater authority should be counterbalanced by more input from regional stakeholders as well, said La-iad Bungsrithong, an adviser of the Thai Hotels Association.
For instance, members of Provincial Administrative Organisations (PAOs), who are elected by local people, have their five-year plans examined by a PAO council to ensure more effective work.
She said CEO governors would help those who take up these roles to solve persistent issues in Chiang Mai, as they would have extended powers beyond the limited authority of those controlled by the Interior Ministry.
Major challenges include severe floods and air pollution, which have occurred in many northern areas, not just Chiang Mai.
She said a Chiang Mai CEO governor would have to deal with the central government and neighbouring provinces when planning budgets, as well as ensuring related organisations in the province are moving in the same direction.
'At present, budgets for events in provinces are distributed in a disorderly manner via many organisations,' she said.
Mrs La-iad said the government should also consider the idea of elected governors, using municipal elections in Pattaya as an example, exploring how those practices could work in the contexts of other provinces.
Thaneth Tantipiriyakij, president of the Phuket Tourist Association, said that out of 80 public organisations in Phuket, the provincial governor is able to oversee about 30, which doesn't allow for effective work to the degree that tourists and business operators expect.
For instance, in the case of disease outbreaks or widespread illegal cannabis stores, the governor has no power to use law enforcement, such as ordering those illegal shops to close, as this falls under the Ministry of Public Health.
Mr Thaneth said flaws in tourism safety enforcement had also disrupted the image of world-class tourism in Phuket.
Besides introducing the CEO governor model, the government should adjust the budget allocation policy as Phuket has a very limited development budget compared to the huge scale of tourism.