Tourism Authority of Thailand Middle East office to create exclusive itinerary for Arab visitors during Thailand Travel Mart 2015
(Dubai, 1 June 2015) - Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in cooperation with the Tourism Council of Thailand, Thai Hotels Association, Association of Thai Travel Agents, Thailand Incentive and Convention Association, Thai Eco Tourism and Adventure Travel Association, and tourism business sectors will organize Thailand Travel Mart Plus Amazing Gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion (TTM+) 2015, the country’s largest annual B2B tourism and travel trade event from 3 – 5 June, 2015 at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Tourism Authority of Thailand will invite nine journalists from UAE, Oman and Iran to participate on TTM+ followed by a post tour highlighting Thailand as a muslim-friendly destination visiting halal friendly hotels, restaurants, spa and wellness centres, hospitals, shopping centres and key attractions in Bangkok and Hua Hin. On June 5, All journalists attending the fam trip will be able to interact with key officials of Tourism Authority of Thailand to discuss issues on welcoming Muslim travellers to Thailand. A part of the program are key lectures from Professor Dr.Pakorn Priyakorn, President The Foundation of Islamic Centre of Thailand tackling Thailand as Muslim Friendly Destination, Mr. Imtiaz Muqbil, Executive Editor of Travel, Impact Newswire talking about‘Readiness of Thailand to Welcome the Muslim Tourists’ and a presentation on “Halal Application” lead by Information Technology Office, Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Thailand remains a popular destination to many Arab travelers as it is named as one of the Top 10 Muslim friendly tourism destination in the world by Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2015. The recent hosting of first ever Thailand Halal Assembly in Bangkok further strengthen Thailand’s position to cater to Muslim travelers by providing Arabic speaking staffs, halal food options, prayer facilities in the airport and Muslim-friendly hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions throughout the country.
Mr. Chalermsak Suranant, Director – Tourism Authority of Thailand Dubai and Middle East office said, “Middle Eastern market has remained an important source market for us with an increase in total number of arrival by 33.74% during first quarter 2015. The Discover Thainess Campaign 2015 with highlights on Muslim-Friendly tours and activities is an attempt to attract first time and repeat visitors to explore Thailand’s new destinations including Thailand’s 12 hidden gems cities namely: Lampang, Phetchabun, Nan, Buriram, Loei, Samut Songkhram, Ratchaburi, Trat, Chanthaburi, Trang, Chumphon and Nakhon Si Thammarat, and to discover Thainess; Thai way of life through people and culture.”
Accessibility to Thailand continues to grow from Middle East region with Qatar Airways boosted flights to Bangkok to four times a day as of December 2014 and Etihad Airways will add a fourth daily service from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok from 1st July 2015 as well. The ‘Airports of Thailand’ plan to expand Suvarnabhumi Airport in order to enhance the capacity of 45 million people per year to 60 million people per year. Phuket International Airport will also expand its capacity from 6.5 million to 12.5 million people per year.
“Visitors from the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait already comprise the highest spending category of visitors to Thailand. They also play a major role in helping to fill up hotel rooms in the “Green Season”, the monsoon months (July-August) when visitors from the traditional markets of Europe and North America experience a slight dip”, Mr. Suranant added
In 2015, TAT has set the target of 28 million visitors generating an estimated 41 billion US Dollars from international visitors, and 151 million trips generating an estimated 25 billion US Dollars from domestic visitors. Source markets that are indicating positive growth trends are China, India, the Philippines, Hong Kong, the UAE, Singapore, France, Italy, the UK, Brazil and East Europe.
Throughout the remainder of 2015, TAT Dubai & Middle East office will be implementing a range of marketing strategies to attract Middle East tourists through the ‘Discover Thainess 2015’ campaign which includes ‘Thai Experience’, ‘Thai Way of Life’ and ‘Thai Culture’. TAT Dubai & Middle East office recently concluded a series of road shows in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain as part of its promotional strategy to focus on niche segments such as Wedding and Honeymoons, Medical Tourism, Green Tourism, Gastronomy Tourism, Shopping, and Sports Tourism.