Bangkok, 27 July 2014 - More
than 900 travel media, bloggers, celebrities and travel industry
executives from 47 countries and territories around the world are to be
in Thailand in late July for one of the largest fam trips ever hosted by
the Thai tourism industry as part of its post-crisis recovery campaign.
Called “Thailand’s
Best Friends Forever Mega Fam Trip” (Thailand’s BFF), the event is
designed to convey a powerful message that the Thai tourism industry is
back to normal. The event has an equally potent purpose to help bring
the smiles back to the faces of the Thai people after several months of
uncertainty. It will also help dispel any lingering doubts about the
return to normalcy, and restore visitors’ confidence in returning to
Thailand for leisure, business and MICE events.
The fam-trip
participants will be hosted to a vibrant welcome reception, which will
be presided over by Admiral Narong Pipatanasai, Commander-in-Chief,
Royal Thai Navy and Deputy Chief of the National Council for Peace and
Order (NCPO) who oversees the tourism industry.
After the reception at
the Centara Grand Hotel at CentralWorld, where most of the fam-trip
participants will be accommodated, participants will be able to immerse
themselves in the festivities of the “Thailand Happiness Street
Festival”, in which the primary business and shopping district of
downtown Bangkok, is to be converted into a giant festival of happiness,
joy, fun and Thai smiles over 25-26 July, 2014.
In an extravaganza
never before held in Thailand, the entire Ratchaprasong area will come
alive with colourful parades, great shopping, fashion shows, concerts
and culinary delights from 15.00 hrs to midnight on both days. The theme “Thailand Happiness” will definitely display the true meaning of Thainess.
Participants will be
divided into groups and offered a choice of destinations to visit across
all of the five regions of Thailand, ranging from the exotic islands
and beach resorts of the South to the emerging destinations bordering
the neighbouring countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion.
Tourism Authority of
Thailand Governor Thawatchai Arunyik said, “This fam-trip will be a
critical component of our recovery programme, especially for the second
half of this year, when we have to double our efforts to bring visitors
back.
“At our just concluded
Marketing Action Plan meetings, we spent a lot of time analysing key
trends and then identifying the appropriate fam-trip participants from
priority markets which could generate the fastest turnarounds.”
He said that all
possible media have been chosen, both conventional print and TV plus
bloggers. Local celebrities have also been invited from a number of
source markets to enhance the star power and viewership appeal.
Mr. Thawatchai said,
“The Festival aims to effectively communicate a feeling that everything
is back to normal and that the national atmosphere is back to its usual
vibrant, fun-loving self. This will help restore visitors’ confidence
and bring them back to the “Land of Smiles”.
“We extend our
heartfelt thanks to Thailand Best Friends Forever group for their
cooperation and support to Thai tourism. We would also like to thank
Thai Airways Public Co., Ltd., as well as all the public sector agencies
and our private sector partner associations and companies for all the
help and support they are providing to facilitate the success of what
will clearly be a major event.”