Bangkok, 4 January 2013 – The Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) in cooperation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) hosted a familiarisation trip for Thai media to visit the Kingdom of Bhutan in December 2012.
The trip was organised following the agreement made during the 2nd Tourism Cooperation on 8th June, 2012, in Bangkok. The collaboration is comprised of Marketing Channels, Public Relations and Training Internship Programmes.
TAT also provided information for TCB’s possible participation at the Thai International Travel Fair hosted by the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA). The Fair will be hosted twice a year in February and September to help promote Thailand’s tourism industry and to provide tourists with tourism products and services, both domestic and out-bound. The exhibitors are travel agents, airline representatives and members of National Tourism Organisations (NTO).
Bhutan’s carrying capacity for national tourists is estimated to be not over 150,000 arrivals a year. In 2011 the country received 65,756 tourist arrivals. During January – September 2012, there were about 2,450 Thais visiting Bhutan and 12,000 Bhutanese visiting Thailand.
Most Bhutanese people come to Thailand for shopping and a medical checkup. Meanwhile, many Bhutanese students continue their studies at the bachelor’s degree level in Thailand.
The majority of Thai tourists to Bhutan visit only the western part of Bhutan for cultural tourism. Mr.Thuji Dorji Nadik, Acting Managing Director for TCB said TCB wants to promote more tourism relating to snow and also nature tourism to Thai people as Bhutan has immense ecological resources including birds, wildlife, orchids and medicinal plants.
Druk Air – the Bhutanese national carrier – is the only airline operating flights to Bhutan and runs daily flights from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Paro Airport in Bhutan.
For more information on Bhutan’s tourism, please check http://www.tourism.gov.bt
Contact information:
International Public Relations Division
Tourism Authority of Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4545-48
Fax: +66 (0) 2253 7419
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.tatnews.org
