Bangkok – 19 February, 2014: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Thai Airways International (TG) have joined forces to welcome over 40 overseas media from Asia and Europe for a familiarisation trip during the last two weeks of February 2014.
The objective is to help international media get a better understanding of the fact that the political demonstrations are concentrated in very small areas of Bangkok, and that visitors can travel to all the other tourist destinations comfortably. These include Pattaya, Hua Hin, Cha-am, Rayong, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Kanchanaburi and more. Thailand is and continues to be a wonderfully diverse tourism destination with great beaches, food, spas, hotels, nature and sports activities.
The Asia-Pacific media hails from China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Lao PDR., Myanmar, Australia and New Zealand. The European region will cover representatives from the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, and Russia.
They will be divided into various groups, each of which will be taken on trips of three to six days covering various visitor attractions in Bangkok and other popular tourist destinations, as follows:
Bangkok: Cruising along Chao Phraya River, Wat Kallayanamit, Grand Palace, Temple of Dawn, Wat Prayoonwongsawat, Chocolate Ville, Supatra River House, and Paklong Talad Flower Market.
Chacheongsao Province: Wat Sothon Wararam Woraviharn and Wat Chin Pracha Samoson.
Chonburi Province: Pattaya, Elephant Kingdom, Mimosa (the City of Love), Art in Paradise, Underwater World, Silverlake Winery, Colossium (Cabaret Show), and Sheep Farm.
Kanchanaburi Province: River Kwai, Bridge over the River Kwai, War Cemetery, War Museum, Hellfire Pass, Lawa Cave, and Sai Yok Noi Waterfall.
Prachuap Khiri Khan Province: Hua Hin, Night market at Dechanuchit Road, Hua Hin Railway Station, Plearn Wan, Santorini Park, Khao Takiap, and Khao Hin Lek Viewpoint.
Phetchaburi Province: Nakhon Khiri Palace and Tham Khao Luang.
Samut Songkram Province: Amphawa Floating Market.
Trat Province: Ko Chang (Elephant Island) and Khlong Phrao Beach.
Each group will be briefed on the current Thai tourism situation, marketing plans as well as measures taken by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Tourist Police and other related agencies to ensure visitor safety and security.
TAT Governor, Mr. Thawatchai Arunyik said, “Rather than waiting for the protests and demonstrations to end, we decided to go ahead and start the recovery programme immediately. We are very grateful to all the media who accepted our invitation because it is a clear sign of the confidence they have in visiting Thailand.
“All will get a chance to see that Thailand remains a hospitable and welcoming destination, and our travel and tourism industry is as good as ever in terms of productivity and value for money. Our transportation systems are operating normally, and all roads, airports, mass transit systems and railways are functioning well, both in Bangkok and the provinces.”
The Governor also thanked THAI Airways and all other tourism related agencies for their cooperation and support. He said, “Crises affect all of us in one way or another, and it is important that we help each other make a quick and efficient recovery.”
In 2013, Thailand received 26.73 million international visitors. China is our biggest market, generating more than 4.7 million arrivals, followed by Malaysia 2.99 million arrivals, as well as five source markets of India, Russia, Japan, Korea and Lao PDR., which generated more than one million arrivals each. In 2014, TAT is projecting about 28.01 million international visitors.
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
Filed in : Media Releases, Media Releases 2014
Tags: Headlines, Latestupdate
