Thailand Mega FAM trip and Grand Procession
by Shrutee K/DNS
Mumbai –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 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.
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