THE TOURISM Authority of Thailand (TAT) is teaming up with the public and private sectors to help revive tourism for the south, where eight provinces were hit by floods last month.
TAT governor Suraphon Svetasreni said affected operators of tourism-related businesses in the south would be hosted at a special 150-booth consumer fair, to be held from May 26 to 29 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.
A slew of activities has also been lined up for the flood-hit areas, including a TAT Golf Challenge in Surat Thani in May, a corporate social responsibility project to build 84 dykes on Koh Samui in June, and a car rally on the Bangkok-Surat Thani-Nakhon Si Thammarat route and a bicycle tour on the Chumphon-Ranong route in July.
“This will help restore confidence in land travel, as road links were reported to be damaged during the floods,” said Suraphon.
The NTO is also preparing to launch a new website, www.travelsouththailand.com, which will offer real-time tourism updates on the south. Fam trips for corporates, as well as agents and the media, are also in the works.
The eight provinces in mid-southern Thailand that were affected by last month’s floods are Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Chumphon, Phatthalung, Trang, Phang Nga, Songkhla and Krabi.
By Sirima Eamtako
