Marriott International remains upbeat about Thailand's labour crunch in the tourism sector as employment at its properties countrywide now almost matches the level recorded in 2019.
The company hopes the new government prioritises developing connectivity to secondary cities to boost the country's competitiveness.
Jakob Helgen, area vice-president for Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar at Marriott International, said Thailand remains a popular destination that is attracting an increasing number of visitors.
Since rebounding from the pandemic, Marriott has been implementing both short-term and long-term strategies to fill its vacant posts. This adds to its long-established reputation as a renowned global hotel chain that already helped it to attract staff.
The company focused on providing competitive rates of pay and benefits, such as flexible work schedules to retain its existing members of staff as well as allowing them to relocate to hotels overseas within the group. The group includes around 8,300 hotel properties in 138 countries.
In terms of long-term solutions, Mr Helgen said the company is collaborating with higher education institutions in Thailand to offer training programmes and internships as well as providing opportunities for new graduates to gain employment.
Among the higher education institutions the hotel has partnered with are Burapha University, Dhurakij Pundit University, Phuket Rajabhat University, Silpakorn University's Phetchaburi Campus and Panyapiwat Institute of Management.
Mr Helgen said since the government is now targeting more upscale visitors and attempting to make the country a more premium destination, Marriott has noticed a growth in the number of visitors in the luxury and bleisure segment who combine a business trip with leisure activities.
This year, Marriott aims to have eight new hotels featuring 1,600 rooms in the country, of which two will be new brands -- Autograph Collection and Moxy.
As the general election approaches, Mr Helgen said he would encourage the new administration to offer a wider variety of destinations in the first and second-tier cities by expanding safe and convenient modes of transportation, particularly in key provinces and up-and-coming provinces in every region.
These include airports in Yala, Krabi, Mae Sot in Tak and Khon Kaen, which should be able to accommodate an increase in flight capacity and improve the tourism experience.
He said Marriott is looking forward to working closely with the new government, as it had witnessed successful partnerships between the public and private sectors such as the Phuket Sandbox during the pandemic.
While Thailand has already made progress on sustainable initiatives under the bio-circular-green (BCG) model, Mr Helgen also encouraged the government to continue focusing on nature conservation.
