Trade days: November 5 – 6, 2009 Public days: November 6 – 8, 2009 November 6/ 14.00 – 22.00 hrs 14.00 – 18.00 Consumer Fair at the Expo Centre, Adventure Park 18.00 – 22.00 Green Music Contest November 7 – 8/ 10.00 – 22.00 hrs 10.00 – 18.00 Consumer Fair at the Expo Centre, Adventure Park 18.00 – 22.00 Green Music Contest The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will be organizing the Northern Eco and Adventure Travel Mart at The Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006 Garden in Chiang Mai during November 5 – 8, 2009. The travel mart will feature an ecotourism and adventure travel trade exchange on November 5-6, the trade days, and a three-day consumer fair during November 6-8. The event is being organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in cooperation with the Thai Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Association, the Chiang Mai Tourism Business Association, the Association of Domestic Travel, and tourism business associations in Northern Thailand.

TAT has received excellent support from partners in the state and private sector in attracting an interesting selection of professional operators and service providers in ecotourism and adventure travel.

Chiang Mai province is blessed with a great diversity of tourism products that incorporate nature, culture, as well as many outstanding man-made attractions that cater to the diverse needs and interests of this niche travel market.

Furthermore, each of the northern provinces also present different destination strengths with each offering a somewhat unique experience that reflects the local landscape. For example, river-rafting, jungle-trekking, nature study trails, agro-tourism or community-based tourism.

These elements work together to give Chiang Mai province a distinct advantage and a promising potential for this northern province to establish itself as the ecotourism and adventure travel hub for Thailand. The Northern Eco and Adventure Travel Mart provides a valuable platform for Chiang Mai province to fully demonstrate this potential.

Consumer Fair
ECO Exhibition & Adventure Park
November 6 – 8, 2009
The three-day consumer fair will be open to visitors on November 6 from 14.00 hrs onwards and will continue through to November 8, 22.00 hrs.

Visitors will have an opportunity to shop for specially-priced ecotourism and adventure travel packages and will also be able to sample a variety of fun activities on offer.

The highlights include mountain-biking, balloon rides, parachuting, ATV (all-terrain vehicle) rides, BB guns, paintball, canoeing, kayaking, bungee jumping, rock-climbing, and many other eco-adventure activities.

Trade Days: November 5 – 6, 2009
At the Expo Centre
The trade exchange is a key element of the event and is designed to strengthen Chiang Mai’s positioning as the regional hub for ecotourism and adventure travel for Northern Thailand and to build on this potential so the region evolves into a future ecotourism and adventure travel hub for the country.

The trade meet presents an ideal forum for ecotourism and adventure travel operators based in the 17 northern provinces of Thailand to showcase their products and services and network with trade counterparts and other relevant service providers from Bangkok and the other regions of the country. In addition to facilitating trade negotiations, it is hoped that the ‘buyer-meet-seller’ session will also lead to the formation of new partnerships.

The all-day Eco & Adventure Forum seminar programme on 7 November will address the topic of how to add value to ecotourism through the creation of themes and will also highlight perspectives on the direction of tourism growth and development in popular tourism destinations, such as Pai.

TAT recognizes the important role that ecotourism plays in sustainable tourism development and the significant contribution it makes to the conservation of the kingdom’s natural environment as well as its cultural heritage. By hosting the Northern Eco and Adventure Travel Mart every year, TAT hopes to generate increased visibility, awareness, and interest in ecotourism and travel experiences that are more meaningful and personally inspiring for the individual traveller.