12 tourism provinces expected to generate Bt112 billion next year
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The "12 not-to-be-missed provinces" project of the Tourism Department is expected to generate Bt112 billion next year, 14 per cent of the targeted revenue from the domestic travel industry of Bt800 billion.
The project involves the development of 12 key provinces to appeal to tourists, including the improvement of infrastructure, facilities, human resources and entertainment zoning so as not to affect cultural features and local communities adversely.
Acting Second Lieutenant Arnupap Gaesornsuwan, director-general of the department, said it was planning to upgrade the 12 provinces to acceptable standards while making them sustainable for tourism in the long term in line with the policy of Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul.
The project is expected to generate revenue in these provinces from domestic travel amounting to 148 million person-trips. The amount will represent 14 per cent of the estimated domestic-tourism revenue target of Bt800 billion baht next year, or 14.8 million tourists.
It is also hoped that Thai tourists’ good impression of these provinces will be reflected as an indirect advertisement in the eyes of international tourists.
The “12 not-to-be-missed provinces” project will appeal to Thai families, working people, elderly, and youngsters to travel to different regions of the country regardless of seasons.
Arnupap said the Tourism Department was collaborating with relevant agencies to upgrade the standards of tourist attractions in the project in many aspects.
After meeting with local organisations from different regions, the department is now equipped with starter sub-projects – landscapes and orderliness, transport routes, descriptive road signs, clean public toilets, and Wi-Fi coverage.
As for the infrastructure, the department will focus on maximising support for the disabled and the elderly by building ramps and special toilets for wheelchair tourists, including bicycle lanes to support the “sports for tourism” idea.
Furthermore, provincial tourist guidebooks will be published along with tourist-information websites for each of the 12 provinces.
Training sessions
The department will organise training sessions to upgrade the standards of local goods and services.
Most important, to preserve the cultural and traditional atmosphere of the tourist attractions, the department is planning to propose a rezoning of entertainment establishments to limit their expansion into cultural and community zones.
The proposals of the 12 “not-to-be-missed” provinces that have been submitted to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports are as follows, Lampang, Nan, Phetchabun, Buri Ram, Loei, Ratchaburi, Samut Songkhram, Chanthaburi,Trat, Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Trang.
“The ‘12 not-to-be-missed provinces’ project will be conducted according to good governance and in collaboration with local agencies, such as local government bodies and the local private sector,” Arnupap said.
“They are the people who truly know what is best for the provinces and for the locals, which will lead to effective and economical budgeting, as well as a sustainable improvement of tourism in these 12 provinces.”
