SECOND HEALTH TRAVEL MART TO HIGHLIGHT THAI MEDICAL, HEALTH, BEAUTY PRODUCTS

More than 100 buyers and sellers of health, beauty and holistic treatment products will participate in the Second Thailand Health Travel Mart between 22-25 September 2000.

The mart is a continuing element of the strategy being implemented by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to showcase the country’s niche-product range of medical, health and beauty facilities in view of the growing global demand for personal care and physical and mental revitalisation as part of a travel itinerary.

The mart will be opened today at the Amari Watergate Hotel by Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office and TAT Chairman H.E. Mr. Adisai Bodharamik.
A total of 96 companies will participate, including 58 buyers, mainly global travel agents specialising in health and recreational packages, foreign tourism-related media and 38 Thai sellers of medical, health and beauty services, facilities and products.

As of September 22, the total complement of registered buyers will include France 6, Hong Kong 16, Japan 6, Korea 9, Malaysia 5, Singapore 5, Taiwan 3, the UK 4 and the USA 4.

The mart aims to open up business opportunities for dozens of different market segments, including suppliers of spa and fitness equipment, beauty and healing services, modern hospitals, meditation centres, eco-tourism activities, etc.
The event will also create opportunities for visitors to come to Thailand and receive both traditional and contemporary medical treatment, including check-ups and health products at a fraction of the price in industrialised countries.
After the formal opening, buyers and sellers will then convene for the table-top travel mart to establish business contacts and get additional information about the products.

Between 23-25 September, international buyers and media will participate in a
familiarisation trip to visit various medical and health institutes in Bangkok. They will also visit Kanchanaburi province, about 150 kilometres west of Bangkok, to experience adventure activities like rafting, elephant riding, bird watching, bicycling and canoeing.

One important feature of the familiarisation trip is the opportunity to participate in and sample the various products and treatments, including Thai traditional massage and meditation training.

“By showing them the places and also allowing them to experience the products, we want to help buyers create new packages featuring a broad range of accommodation, length of stay and destinations throughout the Kingdom, not just in Bangkok and Kanchanaburi,” said TAT Governor Pradech Phayakvichien.
TAT Chairman Adisai added, “Growing stress factors are leading people all around the world, especially those living in big cities, to seek inner peace and harmony. People are becoming more health- conscious and seeking a more holistic approach based more on prevention and less on cure.
“Therefore, our famed traditions of Thai massage and herbal treatment as well as modern spas and medical services will create a wider range of tourist activities.”
First initiated by the Public Health Minister H.E. Mr. Korn Dabbaransi in 1999, the annual Health Travel Mart has blended the Thai traditional treatment and beauty services with existing tourism resources to attract niche markets and develop the standards of Thai traditional treatments.

It also serves the additional function of providing jobs for thousands of people trained in the art of Thai massage and traditional therapies. Tour operators are also able to substantially broaden their product base and give visitors added reason for spending more time in Thailand.

To improve the quality of the Thai traditional medical therapies, the National Institute of Thai Traditional Medicine was established under the Public Health Ministry in 1994.