Tourism roadshows in Mumbai, Delhi invite Indians to 'Discover Thainess'
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AS PART of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's "2015 Discover Thainess" campaign, a joint event was launched in Mumbai and Delhi yesterday.
The Mumbai roadshow was one of three sub-sessions organised jointly by the Ministries of Commerce and Tourism and Sports and subordinate agencies. It was presided over by Commerce Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya and Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavarangkul.
In her speech, Kobkarn gave details about further projects planned this year by the TAT, highlighting the “12 Hidden Gems”, in which 12 relatively unknown provinces are introduced to tourists in greater detail.
Special traditional activities will be held each month, including the Muay Thai Festival in March, Songkran Festival in April, Shopping Parade in June, International Food Festival in September, Loi Krathong Festival in November and the Royal Melody in December.
Mumbai and Delhi were chosen for this TAT overseas roadshow, after a few previous events in Britain and China, because Indians already visit Thailand in high numbers – more than 946,000 in 2014 – with high per-head spending at Bt40,400 and stay averaging seven days.
The TAT is planning to welcome 1.05 million arrivals from India this year.
To make Thailand even more attractive to Indians, especially younger people, the TAT is promoting such things as elaborate wedding activities and sporting events, while hoping to lure delegates to meetings, incentive events, conferences and exhibitions (the MICE sector).
In a special interview, Kobkarn said the challenge for the “Discover Thainess” campaign was how to stay competitive with other destinations that were also boosting their tourism sectors while maximising Thailand’s existing advantages. For example, up to 70 per cent of the Kingdom’s inbound tourists are repeat visitors, and this needs to be maintained.
In an earlier speech, Chatchai tried to assure Indian tour agents and investors attending the roadshow that Thailand, now under a military regime, is safe and stable, and committed to improving infrastructure and rail transport linking the Southeast Asian region.
Thailand will also serve as India’s gateway to the region and a service centre for its links to other Asean member countries, he said.
There was a forum in the morning when Thai businesspeople met with Kobkarn and Chatchai, along with senior officials from the Board of Investment, the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Thai Industries, to discuss business opportunities.
The last session was held in the afternoon, featuring a number of Thai performances and Thai foods, snacks and drinks in a series of shows under a floating-market theme.
