by Suman Gupta
Mumbai, November, 2017 –The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), in collaboration with Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways and EVA Airways, hosted over 300 travel agents and media from around the world on the Thailand Mega Fam Trip 2017.
Ms. Soraya Homchuen, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mumbai, said, “We conduct fam trip to Thailand every year, but this time we decided to take it to the next level and conduct a fam trip on a grand scale to highlight TAT’s new marketing concept ‘Open to the New Shades of Thailand’. We wanted to give them first-hand experience of this new marketing concept in Thailand that encourages visitors to discover a new perspective on Thailand, with existing as well as new places and attractions.”
The focus of this campaign is to give more attention to enjoying unique local experiences and inclusive tourism, reflecting Thainess and the Thai people’s warmth in welcoming visitors. Within this, there is a focus on specific customer segments; such as, gastronomy tourism, luxury, weddings and honeymoons, families, female travellers and Gen Y. Places covered in the Thailand Mega Fam Trip 2017 were Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Ratchaburi, Kanchanaburi, Phetchaburi, Chon Buri, Surat Thani, Phuket, Phang-nga, Krabi, Nan, Phrae, Sukhothai, Chiang Mai, and Nakhon Ratchasima.
Focusing on Bangkok, Ko Chang and Krabi, TAT organised 4 trade meet events with local Thai sellers.Taking part in the Ko Chang itinerary are 44 buyers from China and they met with 52 Thai sellers in the trade meet event on 13 November at the KC Grande Resort and Spa Koh Chang. For the trade meet event in Bangkok that was conducted at the Dusit Thani Bangkok Hotel, there were 81 buyers from America, Europe, Middle East and Africa region with 153 Thai sellers. The trade meet events in Krabi involve 13 buyers from Japan with 17 Thai sellers on 17 November at the Shell Sea Resort, and 62 buyers from the Americas and Middle East region with 51 Thai sellers on 20 November at the Dusit Thani Krabi Beach Resort.
All the Thailand Mega Fam Trip 2017 participants attended the opening ceremony of “The Amazing Thailand Tourism Year 2018” campaign which kicked off on 15th November 2017 with a spectacular procession through the heart of Bangkok. The Grand procession featured six parades, which joined a 3.5-km route from the National Stadium to Lumphini Park. Each parade represented a treasured aspect of Thai tourism, with the first showcasing the Lotus Goddess, a symbol of the “Amazing Thailand Tourism Year 2018”, signifying harmony and happiness. The second parade highlighted amazing architecture and sculpture from each region of Thailand, including miniatures of Wat Phra That Sri Chom Thong, Chiang Mai (Northern Region), Wat Phra Mahathat, Nakhon Si Thammarat (Southern Region), Chon Buri’s Kong Kao – or rice mould – Festival (Eastern Region), Phrathat Phanom Chedi, Nakhon Phanom (Northeastern Region), and the Mon Songkran Festival in Sangklaburi, Kanchanaburi (Central Region). The third parade presented a taste of Thailand’s wide variety of distinctive foods, desserts, and ingredients, while the fourth and fifth parades showcased the various outstanding festivals and major sporting events set to be hosted in the Kingdom in 2018. The procession was capped off by the sixth parade, which exemplified Thailand’s role as a gracious host. Also, these participants attended the ‘New Shades of Amazing Thailand’ Party on 16 November 2017 held at the Nai Lert Park Heritage Home in Bangkok, where they learned more about the TAT’s ‘Open to the New Shades of Thailand’ marketing concept.
Following a record breaking performance in 2016, Thailand this year welcomed 26.10 million international visitor arrivals in the January to September period – a 5.4 percent increase over the same 2016 for period. TAT’s target for the entire 2017 year is 1.81 trillion Baht (50 billion USD) in tourism revenue. In recognition of how important tourism is for the national economy, the government has set a growth target for tourism revenue of no less than eight percent in 2018.
