Nakhon Ratchasima, November 23, 2012: Nearly 100 travel agents and media from 11 Asia-Pacific countries are to convene in one of Thailand’s most famous national parks between November 26-28 for the first such travel mart organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand .
“The Ultimate Khao Yai” travel mart is being organised by the TAT’s Asia and South Pacific regional office, which will fly in the 61 buyers and 29 media from China, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taipei, India, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia. A number of domestic Thai tour operators are also invited.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005, Khao Yai National Park is the second largest national park in Thailand. Located about two-hours drive from Bangkok, its perimeter areas have attracted considerable investment in eco-friendly resorts, lodges, and boutique hotels catering to niche-market travellers.
The promotional effort is in line with the strategy identified in the TAT’s Marketing Plan for 2013, viz., to promote the country’s natural and environmental attractions and diversify visitors away from the beach resorts.
The objective of “The Ultimate Khao Yai” is to create awareness of and stimulate travel to new tourism attractions located within a short travelling distance from Bangkok. It is also designed to help boost weekday traffic from the Thai capital, especially for small meetings, business events, and conferences.
The range of natural and man-made attractions around the National Park include a dairy farm, sheep farm, vineyards, golf courses, theme parks and shopping malls.
On the first day of “The Ultimate Khao Yai”, the fam-trip participants will visit a vineyard for wine-tasting and a welcoming ceremony. On the second day, the group will visit a dairy farm and receive a product update by private sector representatives of various tourism businesses in the area.
After that, they will have business discussions with representatives of 31 businesses in the Khao Yai and Pak Chong areas. TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni will preside over the opening ceremony of the business matching session.
On the last day, the fam trip will conclude with a debriefing session between buyers and sellers to discuss their suggestions and ideas to better develop, market and package the destination.
Mr. Suraphon said, “This is the first time we are organising this kind a dedicated fam trip to Khao Yai National Park. Because it lies on the Asian Highway route network to Northeast Thailand and the neighbouring countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion, we expect it to become an important point for tour operators to package into their tour itineraries.”
