The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) intends to officially include Thai street food as a tourism offering to generate more FIT demand, in line with their current Local Experiences initiative.
“Street food is a strong (selling) point for Thailand,” said TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn, adding that it not only helps to increase traveller spending but also aids in distributing income to the local vendors.
More than 60 per cent of international tourist arrivals in Thailand are repeat travellers, and TAT sees street fare as a new item for them to explore, at the same time differentiating Thailand from neighboring South-east Asian nations who are more inclined to promoting their natural attractions.
“This is a trend of global travel. Sightseeing at beautiful places are not enough anymore. We must also give them experiences they are unable to find elsewhere,” commented Yuthasak.
The Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) agrees that the promotion of street food will not benefit tour businesses directly, but finds the effort worthwhile in terms of increasing the awareness of Thai cuisine, said its president Charoen Wangananont.
He suggested authorities should guarantee food hygiene and the safety of pedestrians in the exercise of this initiative, and consequently travel agents may add street food venues in their tour programmes.
Yuthasak accepted that street food vendors had caused inconveniences to pedestrians in the past, but that it will take time for the problem to be rectified given the many parties involved.
Since the Thai government launched its footpath clean-up campaign in mid-2014, sidewalks in 60 areas in Bangkok, including Khlong Thom, Pratunam, Bang Lamphu and Siam Square have benefited from more accessible walkways.
