Culinary initiative set to spice up tourism figures
Thailand's niche-market focus on culture and culinary tourism is getting another boost until May as the Tourism Authority of Thailand again joins forces with Visa International to organise the "Thailand Splash and Spice Festival".
This year’s festival has been extended to a full three months to cover both summer vacation and Songkran. This will ensure maximum patronage from both local residents and foreign visitors.
The event now includes specific restaurants in four- to five-star hotels in six major tourist destinations – Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Samui.
Governor Thawatchai Arunyik said on Monday that the expanded festival is part of TAT’s continuing effort to underscore its new brand campaign "Discover Thainess".
As Thai cuisine is well-known all over the world, this festival will give visitors further incentive to come and enjoy it in Thailand itself, at very value-for-money prices.
"Splash & Spice" refers to Songkran, Thailand’s water festival, which relieves the hot season with a big splash, and the grand taste of exotic spices, which abound in the amazing variety of cuisine that can be found in Thai hotel outlets.
TAT and Visa initiated the "Thailand Splash & Spice" campaign in 2012 to capitalise on the popularity of Thai cuisine and drive business to the many world-class international restaurants that have opened in Bangkok and popular tourist spots nationwide.
The campaign also leads to a commensurate growth in average visitor expenditures and length of stay.
