A delegation of 43 senior executives from the Thai tourism industry is to visit Malaysia and Singapore in early April to explore new market opportunities and further tap the prospects of intra-ASEAN travel.
The delegation will hold a briefing and product presentation for local tour operators, travel agents and media in Kuala Lumpur on April 5 and in Singapore on April 8.
Organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the roadshow team includes representatives of Thai Airways International, Association of Thai Travel Agents, Thai Hotels Association, 31 hoteliers, eight tour operators, one car rental company and three other representatives of tourism parks and attractions.
Malaysia and Singapore are respectively the second and fifth largest source- markets of visitors to Thailand. Both were relatively unaffected by the 9/11 crisis and showed growth in 2001.
The Singaporean and Malaysian buyers will be briefed on Thailand's new tourism promotion campaigns, especially those focussing on shopping, golf, resorts and linkages to the Greater Mekong Sub-region countries.
The Thailand Grand Festival, a year-long celebration of colourful and exciting festivals based on Thai history, heritage and culture. A Product of the Month has been created based on the designated theme of each month. This will help create a wider range of activities for visitors to enjoy, no matter which part of the year they choose to travel.
The Thailand Golf Paradise campaign features special discounted packages and offering value-added activities including health & spa, cultural and adventure tours and short- courses to attract golfers travelling with families.This campaign is under way from now until December 2003.
The Amazing Thailand Grand Sale Grand Service campaign features a broad range of amazing shopping opportunities and world-class services at equally amazing prices. The first stage of the campaign will be held between 1 June and 31 July.
According to the Deputy Gorvernor for Marketing and Acting Governor Mrs. Juthamas Siriwan, The importance of our overall bilateral political and economic relations with both Singapore and Malaysia cannot be underestimated. Our people have much in common in terms of culture and heritage. We also work closely together on many fronts under the aegis of ASEAN co-operation.
She said that with travel and tourism becoming an increasingly important part of the economies of all three countries, the promotion of intra-ASEAN travel is beneficial to all. Global trends are heading more in the direction of inter- and intra- regional travel, Mrs Juthamas said.
Singaporeans and Malaysians are regular visitors to Thailand and know it well as a peaceful and stable democratic country, supported by warm, friendly people, excellent tourism products, services and destinations, very good aviation and transport networks and affordable prices, she said.
Total visitors from Malaysia totalled 1.26 million in 2001, up about 10% over 2000. Most Malaysian visitors travelled overland to the southern Thai provinces. Major popular destinations include Hat Yai and Sungai Kolok while the island resort of Krabi also enjoyed a growth.
One of the major contributing factors is the extension of office hours of Sadao Immigration Checkpoint by two more hours (between 05:00-23:00 hours) which helps make travelling overland much easier.
Visitors from Singapore to Thailand totalled about 665,000 in 2001, a slight increase of about 1.5% over 2000. Of these, 79%, or about 523,000, were repeat visitors. The fastest-growing market segment was mature-market citizens aged between 55-64 (+6%).
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