Tourism Breaking News
Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, TAT Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, explained about the expansion to new markets such as Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia, and Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates at the Thailand Product Update for buyers and media attending the Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+) 2023. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) underlined quality, and experience-based tourism among key elements of Thai tourism products and services as part of its strategic move to transform Thailand’s tourism towards high-value and sustainable tourism. He further reiterated, “TAT is illustrating Thailand as offering meaningful-driven travel to improve visitors’ experience. Encompassing discovery, transformation, fulfilment, and engagement between people, cultures, and nature, this underscores TAT’s direction to making a destination for protecting the country’s vast natural and scenic beauty and instigating a range of environmental initiatives.”
Key elements of tourism products and services that reflect TAT’s overall strategies have included luxury tourism experiences, wellness tourism, and tourism towards sustainability. Highlights for luxury tourism experiences include Live the Bangkok Life and Relaxing Phangnga plus Youthfully Phuket, while for wellness tourism, Thailand’s wellness possibilities include family-friendly wellness breaks in Chiang Mai; and immunity booster vacations in Ko Samui, Surat Thani. Thailand’s tourism towards sustainability comprises a wide range of destinations and activities that deliver sustainability experiences, including exploring local community by bike at Bang Krachao, Samut Prakan; adventurer travel in Umphang, Tak; slow life at low- carbon destination on Ko Mak in Trat; and exploring the Little Amazon and surfing at the Memories beach in Takua Pa, Phangnga.
TAT is also developing a national drive that encompasses the entire Thai tourism industry with the development of the Sustainable Tourism Goals (STGs) based on the 17 goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations. Among new initiatives include a STAR (Sustainable Tourism Acceleration Rating) system to certify sustainable tourism businesses.
Meanwhile, TAT continues to develop a new tourism ecosystem and elevate supply through such initiatives as the Thailand Tourism Awards, ‘Up- Skill Re-Skill’ human resources development project, and ‘CF Hotels’ online platform for hotel and lodging operators to sustainably manage businesses.
TAT continues to collaborate with strategic partners and increase air connectivity, expand markets, and promote Thailand as an all-year round destination. Thailand celebrated a milestone achievement in 2022, welcoming a total of 11.15 million international arrivals, which generated revenue of 589 billion Baht, and recorded 189 million domestic trips, which generated revenue of 641 billion Baht. For 2023, TAT hopes to see around 80 percent of the tourism revenue generated in 2019, which is expected to be 2.38 trillion Baht, which 1.5 trillion Baht will be generated from the overseas market and 880 billion Baht from the domestic market.
