Head of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) General Prayuth Chan-ocha has stressed the need for relevant agencies to launch marketing activities to boost tourism.
Gen Prayuth said that measures rolled out in the next few months to stimulate tourism for the coming high season will be vital, as this is the period when tourists plan their end-of-year trips.
In this regard, promotional activities should be emphasized for all major markets, such as Japan, India, Hong Kong, ASEAN, the European Union, and China. General Prayuth urged the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Tourism Council of Thailand to join hands with various foreign airlines and chartered airlines that are friends of Thailand in devising campaigns to promote Thailand as a tourist destination during the period between October 2014 and March 2015.
According to an assessment by relevant agencies, there is a good news that Thailand’s tourism income is showing an increasing trend. Moreover, he said, insurance measures for tourists may need to be devised during this situation.
Meanwhile, the TAT, Thai Airways International, and the Ratchaprasong Square Trade Association, are joining hands in organizing a festival of happiness, joy, fun, and Thai smiles over the 25-26 July weekend as part of an effort to show to the world that Thai tourism is more than back to normal.
In an extravaganza never before held in Thailand, the entire Ratchaprasong area in Bangkok will come alive with colorful parades, great shopping, fashion shows, concerts, and culinary delights from 3:00 p.m. to midnight on both days. The theme “Thailand Happiness” will be lived up to the hilt.
TAT Governor Thawatchai Arunyik said that the organizers would make this event the biggest and best back-to-normal party Thailand has ever seen. Although its primary objective is to convey a powerful message that the Thai tourism industry is back to normal, the event has an equally potent purpose: to help bring the smiles back to the faces of the Thai people after several months of uncertainty.
On both days, there will be a Happiness Concert featuring performances by contemporary musicians and traditional Thai folk singers, accompanied by sound-and-light theatricals at CentralWorld Square. At the Happy Gift Market, visitors will find everything from antique products to trendy, brand-name clothes and fashion items. One section, called “Stars on the Street” will have booths manned by Thai celebrities and television superstars selling footwear, T-shirts, green gourmet items, boutique apparel, and even Thai desserts.
Another section, called Happiness Surprise, will allow visitors to take Instagram pictures of smiling faces and place them in giant gift boxes. After getting 5,000 smiling pictures, the boxes will be opened and the best smiles will get surprise rewards.
In the last week of July, a familiarization trip, “Thailand’s Best Friends Forever,” will be arranged for about 800 members of the media, bloggers, and travel agents from all over the world, who will convene in Bangkok at a welcome reception on 25 July at the Bangkok Convention Center, Centara Grand Hotel at CentralWorld. They will also join the “Thailand Happiness” street festival before travelling to various parts of the kingdom to experience for themselves the many tourist attractions and services the country offers. In addition, this event encourages the people to pass along the message that Thailand waits to welcome all visitors with an abundance of destinations, and it cordially invites all tourists to enjoy their vacation time here, as always.
