THAILAND WELCOMES DUTCH HONEYMOONERS

Eighteen Dutch honeymooning couples and their personal photographers will use Thailand as the backdrop for a high-profile wedding and honeymoon photo competition that will generate much publicity for Thailand as a popular destination among newly-wed couples.

A total of 76 Dutch honeymooners and personal photographers arrived at Bangkok International Airport on November 8, 2000, and will stay in Thailand until November 14.

The honeymooners were welcomed at the airport by a special meet- and-greet delegation of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, led by Marketing Promotion Department Director Ms Juthaporn Rerngron- asa.

Held annually in the Netherlands, the wedding and honeymoon photo competition is organized by the Dutch travel agency, Sunpoint Travel.

It allows newly-married Dutch couples to submit their wedding photos taken in the Netherlands during the first round of the competition. This year, couples who qualified for the second round have been invited to enjoy their honeymoon in Thailand.

The one-week trip to Thailand will allow honeymooners to visit and be photographed against the backdrop of various must-see tourist attractions in Bangkok and the nearby provinces of Nakhon Pathom, Ayutthaya and Kanchanaburi.

The group has been given special permission to take photos in the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha on November 10.

TAT is sponsoring part of the honeymoon holiday and photo competition which will go a long way towards promoting Thailand as a world-class honeymoon destination among Dutch visitors.

TAT Governor Pradech Phayakvichien commented, “The event is very much in line with our continuing efforts to attract more niche markets, especially young couples and honeymooners.”

With co-operation from tourism-related public and private organizations, numerous special activities and campaigns have been launched to attract international couples to get married, honeymoon or celebrate their anniversary in Thailand.

These include special hotel rates and services offered specially to honeymooners by major hotels throughout Thailand. Other events have included wedding festivals such as the ‘Amazing Thailand Wedding 2000’ participated by 4,000 couples, and ‘Amazing Underwater Wedding 2000’ organized by Thai Airways International.

The Netherlands is one of the fastest growing markets for Thailand. Various leading tour operators have helped promote Thailand by selling quality tourism products and services at very reasonable prices.

In 1999, the number of visitor arrivals from Netherlands to Thailand totaled 105,825, a strong increase by 15.11% over 1998. This figure represents 1.22% of the total visitors to Thailand.

During January-July 2000, Thailand received 64,838 Dutch visitors, a strong growth of 9.81% over the same period for 1999.