Bangkok, Thailand, 24 April 2008 — The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) led by TAT Governor, Mrs. Phornsiri Manoharn participated in the International Forum on Chinese Outbound Tourism 2008 (IFCOT) at the Sofitel Wanda, Beijing, on 16 April 2008.

The International Forum on Chinese Outbound Tourism (IFCOT) is one of the most important tourism forums in China. It plays a major role in promoting knowledge and understanding of Chinese outbound market trends.

Bearing the theme, “Approaching the Destination”, the 4th IFCOT 2008 also featured a panel discussion to discuss the trends in the Chinese outbound market amongst public and private sector officials in China and other countries.

The TAT governor was given the honour of speaking at the opening ceremony and also participate in the panel discussion.

Thailand and China share deep cultural, social, ethnic and economic linkages. Thailand is well known amongst Chinese visitors for its diverse and beautiful natural attractions, rich culture and cuisine, high standards of service and value for money.

Thailand’s geographical proximity to China also gives it a major advantage in terms of flight accessibility.

In 1987, when China’s outbound travel began, Thailand was the first country to get approved destination status (ADS). The only two other places that had received ADS before were both the Special Administrative Regions, Hong Kong and Macau.

In 2007, Thailand welcomed a total of 1 million Chinese visitors. Their average length of stay was 5.75 days and average daily expenditure per person 4,525 baht.

TAT is working intensively, in cooperation with Chinese tourism authorities as well as VISA(China), and the China Merchant Bank, Bank of China, Guangdong Development Bank, the China Citic Bank and Thai Airways International to promote bilateral travel flows before and after the Beijing Olympics in August 2008.

The objectives are to create more awareness of Thailand in the Chinese market and attract more high-end Chinese visitors.

Contact information:
International Public Relation Division
Tel: +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4545-48
Fax: +66 (0) 2253 7419
E-mail: prdiv3@tat.or.th
Web site: www.tatnews.org