Bangkok, 26 March, 2014 – Facilitating a complete recovery from the recent political unrest will be the primary focus of Thailand’s annual travel mart to be held between 4-6 June, 2014, at the Exhibition Centre Hall, IMPACT Mueang Thong Thani.
Preparations are under way for the largest B2B event, Thailand Travel Mart Plus Amazing Gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion’ (TTM+). First organised in 2001, the TTM+ is designed primarily to help small and medium sized companies, products and services in Thailand and the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries gain international exposure, especially those who cannot afford to attend the expensive travel trade shows abroad.
The application period for hosted buyers is to close on 31 March, 2014. This year, in addition to buyers from major markets; such as, Europe, South East and North East Asia, the United States and Australia, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will be focussing heavily on emerging markets like the CIS countries, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, South America, and South Africa.
TAT Governor Thawatchai Arunyik said, “There is no doubt that small and medium sized companies were affected by the recent political crises, and it is important to help them protect jobs and revenue. We are now forging full-speed ahead with recovery plans. The TTM+ will be an ideal opportunity to bring business back for the rest of the year and help us meet our targets.”
In January – February 2014, Thailand received 4,494,168 international visitors, a decline of 4.09% over the same period of 2013. Now that the political situation has improved, TAT has opted to maintain the original 2014 target of 28.6 million international tourist arrivals, generating estimated foreign exchange revenue of 1.32 trillion Baht.
Designed to promote Thailand as a regional tourism hub, TTM+ 2014 expects to attract about 400 sellers and 400 buyers. In 2013, a total of 791 delegates attended the event (397 buyers and 394 sellers).
Mr. Thawatchai added, “The full impact of the political unrest on the various source markets is being analysed in detail, along with ongoing consultations with all our industry partners and stakeholders in both the public and private sectors on how best to design a productive and practical programme for TTM+.”
This year, four major products will be highlighted in a special pavilion; Ecotourism, Health and Wellness, Wedding and Honeymoon, and Experience Thainess. The 9 business categories arranged for the event are Hotel / Resort, Tour Operator / Travel Agent, Entertainment, Transportation, Golf Course, Association, NTO, the Greater Mekong Subregion, and Other Travel Services.
Hosted buyers are carefully selected by TAT in cooperation with overseas offices and the private sector. The registration fee is USD300, or 9,600 Baht for each hosted buyer, which includes complimentary return economy flight from international port to port, accommodation (from 3-7 June, 2014), transfers, tours, admission to official functions, and pre-scheduled appointments with exhibitors.
Non-hosted international buyers can also attend the TTM+2014 upon payment of a registration fee of USD 200 or 6,400 Baht. They can avail of the same TTM+2014 services as the Hosted Buyers, except flights and accommodation.
Domestic buyers will also participate in a big way. TAT has also opened up further opportunities for buyers to register on-site upon payment of a registration fee of USD 150 or 4,800 Baht. All functions can be attended.
The official programme will begin on 4 June, 2014, with a welcome reception at the IMPACT Exhibition Centre Hall 2. The business functions will be held on 5-6 June followed by a Thank You Party on the evening of 6 June.
On 3 June, 2014, complimentary pre-mart tours are being organised to take buyers and the media to the surrounding areas of Bangkok. Departures for the post-mart tours will begin on 7 June, 2014.
For more details, please check out http://www.thailandtravelmartplus.com/
Contact Information:
International Public Relations Division
Tourism Authority of Thailand on
Tel: +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4545-48
Fax: +66 (0) 2253 7419
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.tatnews.org
