Thailand set to make strong pitch at London travel mart
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The public and private sectors are putting up a strong showing at the World Travel Market in London this week to entice visitors back with the message that Thailand is nearly past the flood crisis.
“It should be clear by now that the flooding situation will soon be over, and people will need to resume their normal lives,” Juthaporn Rerngronasa, deputy governor at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for marketing to Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas, said yesterday.
Although the floods have affected a large proportion of the country, they are expected to recede in a few weeks, allowing the Thai travel trade plenty of opportunity to prepare for business revival.
Besides the TAT delegation, the Thai tourism pavilion is hosting 93 exhibitors, including 83 hotels.
Thai Airways International is setting up its own pavilion at the event for the first time this year.
Now is the start of the traditional Thai high tourism season.
The flooding has mainly struck the Central provinces along rivers, including some outskirts of Bangkok, suburbs and industrial zones. Central Bangkok, where tourists normally go, has not been flooded other than a few locations near the Chao Phraya River during high tides. Suvarnabhumi Airport remains well protected and open.
Flood waters in Ayutthaya and some other Central provinces are starting to subside, and tourist attractions in Ayutthaya will be open by the end of the month.
“Big Cleaning Days and site restoration in major affected tourist attractions, as well as comprehensive CSR [corporate social responsibility] and ‘voluntourism’ programmes will be launched,” he said.
TAT is committed to ensuring that the UK remains one of the top source markets from Europe. Thailand welcomed almost 635,000 UK visitors from January-September, up 7 per cent over last year.
British vacationers are now coming throughout the year rather than mostly in the winter months as in the past. They also have a high percentage of repeat visits.
