At least five candidates are expected to contend for the job of governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), while Mingkwan Sangsuwan, the former president of MCOT Plc, is said to be keeping his options open because he would still like to return to the broadcaster.

The three insiders for the post are Phornsiri Manoharn, deputy governor for domestic markets, Surapol Savetaserani, deputy governor for marketing communications, and Santichai Eauchongprasit, deputy governor for administrative affairs.

One outsider vying for the TAT job is ML Hathaijanok Kritakara, executive committee member of the Thai Hotels Association and general manager-corporate affairs for Accor Asia Pacific Corp.

A source said Mingkwan would only take the TAT job if he were to be invited, as he is not likely to submit his application during this round of the contest.

The source added that Mingkwan would still like to return to MCOT, from which he resigned as president last month to take responsibility over the airing on September 19 of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's statement, delivered from New York, against the military coup.

Mingkwan, as the then president of MCOT Plc, was one of the key architects in the Thaksin government's tourism campaign, working on the Chinese New Year and New Year's Countdown festivities.

The TAT previously announced that applications for a new governor would be open until today.

Kriangsak Lohachala, president of the TAT governor selection committee, said the qualifications for applicants were that they must not be older than 60 as of the application date, should not be on a current TAT panel, and not be involved in politics.

Applicants can come from either the public or private sector, but those from businesses should have held a position of executive vice president or above for at least one year and managed a business of more than Bt200 million in revenue a year.

Pensuda Priaram, deputy TAT governor for tourism products and acting governor, urged the selection panel to pick the new leader as soon as possible in order to get tourism projects back on track.

TAT union leader Presert Vorapotak has met with Tourism and Sports Minister Suvit Yodmani and called upon him to choose an applicant from inside the agency rather someone than from the private sector.

The union believes a highly efficient insider will enable the country to achieve its targeted number of tourists.

Hotel operators said they would happy with either an insider or an outsider who has been working in the tourism industry for long time. However, they need to know the future plans of the new leader.

The agency restructured its executive positions in August during former tourism and sports minister Pracha Maleenont's term by shifting four deputy governor positions.

As a result, deputy governor for international markets Phornsiri Manoharn moved to domestic markets, replacing deputy governor Juthaporn Rerngronasa, who swapped places with Phornsiri.

Santichai Eauchongprasit, deputy governor for tourism products, moved to become deputy governor for administrative, replacing Pensuda Priaram, who took over Santichai's position.

Suchat Sritama

The Nation