TAT reveals seven coloured sub-themes

TAT governor Thawatchai Arunyik said yesterday that the authority had finalised the official national tourism campaign, which will be delivered to global markets this coming November.

Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha has been pushing the sector through several schemes, such as visa-fee exemption for tourists from mainland China and Taiwan and a 30-day extension for visas for visitors from 49 markets, and he is now considering a travel tax-deduction measure to boost domestic tourism, he said. 

The government is also being urged to lift martial law in a bid to reclaim foreign visitors, he added.    

Thawatchai said the TAT had invited many private-sector interests and big corporates both in Thailand and overseas to help run “Discover Thainess” throughout next year.

Meanwhile, the Culture Ministry has already joined hands with the TAT to select traditional Thai products for promotion overseas. 

The authority will soon ask the Transport Ministry, Interior Ministry and Public Health Ministry for help in regard to travel, said TAT’s chief.

Under next year’s campaign, the TAT has created “colours of happiness”, consisting of seven sub-themes to communicate and reach out to different target groups.

“Feel fun in orange” represents festival street food, “Feel harmonious in green” refers to community tourism and Thai ways along canals, “Feel prestige in purple” covers Royal Project attractions, and “Feel peace of mind in white” refers to natural attractions such as islands and waterfalls, and to religious places.

“Feel energetic in blue” relates to adventure activities such as biking, Thai boxing, cycling, diving and golf, “Feel creative in yellow” represents traditional Thai activities like arts, writing and handicrafts, and “Feel wisdom in sky blue” encompasses Thai massage, food and Thai silk.

“The TAT is set to launch ‘Discover Thainess’ to the international market at the ‘World Tourism Mart’, or WTM, in the United Kingdom in November this year,” said Thawatchai.       

The agency targets 29 million international visitors next year – some 12.9 per cent more than this year’s goal – while overall tourism revenue is expected to come in at Bt2.2 trillion, with foreign visitors accounting for Bt1.4 trillion of the total. 

Revenue from the international market is targeted to increase by 15.5 per cent from this year’s projected level.

The agency has revised down its 2014 foreign-arrivals target from 28 million to 25.7 million, due to the country’s political problems, while revenue from foreign tourists is expected to total Bt1.2 trillion.

As to domestic tourism, the TAT is aiming for 135 million trips and income of Bt700 billion this year.

The Tourism and Sports Ministry recently granted a budget of Bt6 billion to run the sector in 2015, an increase of 6 per cent from this year’s budget.