THAILAND welcomed 15 per cent more arrivals from India between January and March this year, and is stepping up efforts to woo even more travellers from the market.
This year, Thailand is targeting 1.3 million visitors from India. “It’s overwhelming to see such an increase and it only reinstates our belief of crossing the 1.3 million mark,” said Sethaphan Buddhani, director, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Mumbai.
Continued efforts have been made to promote newer markets and segments of travel through fam trips. The NTO took a group of Indian wedding planners on an educational tour.
Delhi and Mumbai’s media and travel consultants travelled on a new THAI Smile direct flight to Phuket to showcase the destination for family holidays, while a similar group was also flown to Bangkok to mark the first Ahmedabad-Bangkok THAI Smile flight.
Separately, TAT has appointed Gaganjeet Bhullar as ambassador for golf tourism in Thailand as part of efforts to promote niche travel such as golf, weddings and honeymoon.
Thailand had also earlier picked a new minister for tourism and sports in Somsak Pureesrisak, who has indicated that visitor safety and security would be a prime focus during his tenure (TTG Asia e-Daily, April 18, 2013).
