- Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports to introduce new products and services to entice the Arab market -
(Dubai, 04 May 2015) The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Dubai and Middle East Office will host the 2015 Discover Thainess Networking Lunch on Wednesday, 6 May, 2015,
during the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) at the Al Wasl Ballroom, Dusit
Thani Dubai. The event will be attended by H.E. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul,
Thailand’s
Minister of Tourism and Sports, Mr. Chalermsak Suranant, Director of
the TAT Dubai and Middle East Office along with other Thai delegates and
will invite top-tier industry professionals from all over the Middle
East.
Speaking at the event, H.E. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Minister of Tourism and Sports said, “The
Middle East market has remained an important source market for us with
an increase in the total number of arrivals by 49.62% in January 2015.
The “2015 Discover Thainess” Campaign is an attempt to attract first time and repeat visitors to explore Thailand’s new destinations including the country’s
12 hidden gems; namely, Lampang, Phetchabun, Nan, Buriram, Loei, Samut
Songkhram, Ratchaburi, Trat, Chanthaburi, Trang, Chumphon and Nakhon Si
Thammarat, and to discover Thainess, the Thai way of life through the
people and culture.”
Thailand
remains a popular destination to many Arab travellers, as it is 2nd
most Muslim friendly tourist destination among members of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),. The recent hosting of the
first ever Thailand Halal Assembly in Bangkok further strengthened
Thailand’s
position to cater to Muslim travellers by providing Arabic speaking
staff, halal food options, prayer facilities in the airport and
Muslim-friendly hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions throughout
the country.
Also speaking at the event, Mr. Chalermsak Suaranat, Director of the TAT Dubai and Middle East Office said, “Visitors
from the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait already comprise the highest spending
category of visitors to Thailand. They also enjoy the “Green Season” of
the monsoon months (July-August) in our country as well as our
destinations, attractions, and activities catering to this market.”
Accessibility
to Thailand continues to grow from the Middle East region with Qatar
Airways boosting flights to Bangkok to four times a day as of December
2014 and Etihad Airways began direct flights from Abu Dhabi to Phuket
since 26 October, 2014. 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. In October, Don Mueang International Airport will open its second terminal to double the capacity to 30 million people per year. Phuket International Airport will also expand its capacity from 6.5 million to 12.5 million people per year.
In
2015, TAT has set the revenue target of 41 billion US Dollars (1.35
trillion Baht) that will be generated by 28 million international
visitors. Source markets that are indicating positive growth trends are
the UAE, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, France, Italy,
Spain, and Brazil.
Throughout
the remainder of 2015, the TAT Dubai and Middle East Office will be
implementing a range of marketing strategies to attract Middle East
tourists through the “2015 Discover Thainess” campaign which includes ‘Thai Experience’, ‘Thai Way of Life’ and ‘Thai Culture’.
The TAT Dubai and 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, and Shopping.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand Dubai and Middle East Office will have a presence in the Arabian Travel Market 2015 from 4-7 May, 2015,
at Stand AS8350 together with 59 exhibitors from Thailand.
Demonstration of Umbrella Painting, Fish Mobile, Muay Thai as well as
Thai Cultural Shows will be available at the stand.
