This year, the Thai contingent at the event included 48 exhibitors such as hotels, health and wellness facilities, as well as food and beverage outlets – all espousing the benefits of a touch of Thainess and local experiences.
Kobkarn Wattana-vrangkul, Minister of Tourism and Sports, said that the ministry planned to focus on unique Thai experiences to attract travellers to the Kingdom.
In line with the Thailand 4.0 model, the TAT will highlight a value-based economy driven by innovation and a creative economy delivering creative tourism.
The ministry also plans to turn Thailand into a sporting hub by promoting and supporting regional and international sporting events and tournaments, such as the inaugural Air Race One event, the Laguna Phuket Triathlon 2016, the Thailand Equestrian Princess’s Cup, the Jet-Ski King’s Cup, and the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta.
As well, the ministry and the Ministry of Public Health has launched a “Visit Thailand Enhance Your Healthy Life” campaign for medical tourism, as well as joining hands with TAT to attend significant world medical trade events and roadshows.
TAT has also initiated the LINK project in which ‘L’ represents local experiences; “I” innovation; “N” networking and “K” for keeping character. The project is promoting local tourism in various communities in Thailand, such as the Ban Na Ton Chan community, Sukhothai province, Kram Sakon, Sakon Nakhon province, the Ban Nam Chiao eco-tourism community, Trat province, and the Ko Klang community, Krabi province.
The top five tourism-spending countries are China, Malaysia, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
At the end of 2016, TAT expects that figure to reach 35 billion pounds, an increase of 18 per cent on the year based on a projection of 33 million international tourists for the year.
At the Thai pavilion at World Travel Mart, which finished on Thursday, people were offered local experiences for various interesting activities.
At a demonstration under the theme “Thai Rice, Thai Life”, visitors learned about the local life of Thai farmers through virtual reality like they are travelling in Thailand and sample rice tea and a snack.