DRIVEN: Chalermsak Suranant, Director for TAT Dubai and Middle East, poses for Community. Photo by Umer Nangiana
By Umer Nangiana
A wondrous kingdom featuring Buddhist temples, exotic wildlife, spectacular islands, a modern capital city and friendly people who epitomise its reputation as a ‘land of smiles’, Thailand remains one of the most visited places on the planet.
Along with a fascinating history and unique culture that includes delectable Thai food and massage, the country offers exotic locations and a benign climate. In 2013, more than 26 million international guests visited Thailand, generating estimated revenue of 11 billion Euros.
In 2008, Bangkok ranked 3rd behind London and New York in Euromonitor International’s list of Top City Destinations with 10,209,900 visitors, Pattaya 23rd with 4,406,300 visitors, Phuket 31st with 3,344,700 visitors and Chiang Mai ranked 78th place with 1,604,600 visitors.
Even though the post-2013 political unrest in the island affected the tourism industry, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) says the situation has gone back to normal and the country continues to welcome international tourists.
“Things have gotten back on track. The unrest is over and tourists are returning to Thailand in great numbers. We have seen a 30 percent increase in the number of tourists visiting Thailand this year. The country is perfectly safe for tourism once again,” Chalermsak Suranant, Director for TAT Dubai & Middle East Office, tells Community in an interview on the sidelines of a road show organised by the authority in Doha recently.
The first leg of the road show held at Crowne Plaza Doha, The Business Park, was aimed at promoting Thailand as a value-for-money, family-friendly holiday destination for honeymooners, couples and families.
Suranant also launched the ‘Discover Thainess 2015’ campaign. The campaign incorporates core Thai values among which are promotion and preservation of Thai traditions and culture. It highlights hospitable character of Thais and its many cultural assets that make Thailand such a unique tourist destination.
“The road show is an important series of events for us as it helps us build new relationships and strengthen our ties with our local friends and partners. With the Discover Thainess campaign, we are here to welcome all Thai enthusiasts to experience Thailand in a new light,” says Suranant.
With many popular and upcoming tourist destinations already attracting a large number of people from around the world, the TAT did not face much of a problem attracting agents from the local travel market.
Some of Thailand’s many attractions include diving sites, sandy beaches, hundreds of tropical islands, nightlife, archaeological sites, museums, hill tribes, flora and bird life, palaces, Buddhist temples and several World Heritage sites.
Many tourists follow courses during their stay in Thailand. Popular are classes in Thai cooking, Buddhism and traditional Thai massage.
The country has multiple festivals happening round-the-year which are partaken by visiting tourists and some of them are particularly famous among the visitors. Thai national festivals range from Thai New Year ‘Songkran’ to ‘Loy Krathong.’
Many localities in Thailand also have their own festivals. Among the best-known are the ‘Elephant Round-up’ in Surin, the ‘Rocket Festival’ in Yasothon and the ‘Phi Ta Khon’ festival in Dan Sai. Thai cuisine has become famous worldwide for its enthusiastic use of fresh herbs and spices.
“The ‘2015 Discover Thainess’ campaign is a unique blend of traditions and beliefs where everything ‘Thai’ is interconnected with many of its distinctive characteristics such as culture where the natural and unique experiences are highlighted,” says the TAT director.
He adds that all aspects of Thai culture such as the food, arts, wellness and festivals are interloped in such a way that visitors coming to Thailand for the first time will be enthralled while Thai enthusiasts coming often will also have something unique to experience in each visit.
The Thai delegation also held several meetings with travel agents from Qatar to highlight Thailand’s destinations for honeymooners and couples as well as to promote the country as a family-friendly and value-for-money destination.
“TAT also aims to build and strengthen business ties and networking within the region between private sectors from Thailand and local partners across Qatar,” says Suranant.
“Thailand remains one of the most visited travel destinations and a popular choice for travellers from Qatar because of its Muslim friendly accommodations and Halal cuisine options. In 2014, some 29,786 travellers made it from Qatar to Thailand,” says the TAT director.
One of the key agendas of the road show was to foster a strong relationship with key travel agents in the region. A large number of travel companies from Qatar participated in the show. The road show is seen as a key strategic move after the focus of international tourism shifted to the Middle East region, says the TAT director.
“Niche target markets for this year are wedding and honeymoons, green tourism, gastronomy, shopping and sports tourism. Special events such as bicycle tours, Muay Thai or Thai boxing, yacht cruises and night cruises were highlighted to showcase the Thai charm,” says Suranant.
A total of 25 leading companies from Thailand, including some of the well-known hoteliers and travel agents also participated in the road show.
Over the year, TAT has built a strong strategic alliance with different key airlines in the region to further promote and boost tourism in Thailand. Qatar Airways serves as our exclusive partner for the success of “Discover Thainess” road show 2015 in Qatar, the TAT director informed the audience at the road show.
This year also marks the 35th anniversary of the Thai-Qatar relationship. The two countries share strong cultural and economic ties. Thai embassy opened in Doha in 2003 and, in 2005, Qatar reciprocated the move in Bangkok.
“Thailand attracts several visitors from all over the world. It is ‘Thainess’ that attracts them and it means a ‘don’t worry, be happy’ approach to life. It presents the best hospitality. Discover Thailand 2015 campaign is to highlight the unique characteristics of tourism in Thailand,” Suranant says with a hint of pride.
He says the campaign is different in a way that it highlights the most distinguished characters of every aspect of Thailand, including food, festivals, topography, beauty and hospitality.
Suranant says around 300, 000 people from the Middle Eastern countries visit Thailand every year. Among them Qatar’s share is comparatively small and TAT is focusing on initiatives to improve the number. Usually people from Qatar go to Thailand to explore its rich culture and benefit from the thriving wellness industry.
“We offer best destinations for honeymoon in the form of beautiful beaches, mountain resorts, spas and wellness clinics, best shopping and good dining experiences. Thailand offers variety. Some of the tourists like it for its beaches, others for its natural beauty,” says the TAT director.
He says Thai Muslim-friendly destinations figure in the world’s top 10. Thailand is not a Muslim country, but they offer halal food, have mosques and destinations for shopping, wedding ceremonies and honeymoon for Muslims.
Most of the tourists to Thailand come from China. A large number of them come from Europe and North America. And now TAT is targeting the GCC to attract more tourists as well. For this year, Thailand targets to achieve 28 million tourists for the year.
“And we would like to invite people from Qatar to come and experience ‘Amazing Thailand’,” says Suranant.
The road show was attended by Thirapath Mongkolnavin, the Deputy Head of Mission of Royal Thai Embassy in Doha, among a large number of businessmen and representatives of travel companies.
The guests were served a dinner and entertained with a slew of Thai cultural performances.
