Bangkok, 24 February, 2016 – Bangkok was chosen as the venue for the ‘g meet 2016’ annual conference organised by GTA, a world leader in the provision of ground travel products and services to the fully independent travel (FIT) industry. This marked the first time that GTA brought its esteemed annual conference to Bangkok. The move was lauded by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) as significant for Thailand’s tourism industry, as it helped reiterate the global travel industry’s confidence in the kingdom as a top tourist destination.
Mrs. Juthaporn Rerngronasa, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing – Europe, Africa, Middle East and the Americas said, “We would like to thank GTA for organising this important event here in Amazing Thailand. We are always happy to see such senior industry leaders from the largest and most influential travel companies in the region getting together. Certainly, it gives them an opportunity to personally check out the many new developments and improvements taking place in the Thai tourism industry, as we reinvent ourselves for a new era of growth.”
The g meet 2016, which took place yesterday, drew attention from high-ranking executives of some of the largest and most influential travel companies to exchange viewpoints around the opportunities and challenges for the travel intermediaries of the future.
The one-day event comprised a briefing on GTA’s vision 2020 by GTA Chief Executive, Mr. Ivan Walter, and his senior leadership team, two panel discussions on ‘the future of travel’ and ‘the future role of travel intermediaries’, and a special address on ‘TAT’s strategies and how various stakeholders can play a part in promoting Thai tourism in the future’ by Mrs. Juthaporn Rerngronasa.
In her address, Mrs. Juthaporn said, “The TAT’s marketing plan for 2016 will focus on promoting the kingdom as a “Quality Leisure Destination through Thainess” by highlighting more on quality as measured by visitor expenditure, average length of stay, and the overall quality of the visitor experience rather than focus on quantity as measured by visitor arrivals.”
TAT aims at enhancing the image of Thailand for quality tourist markets by offering ‘Thainess’ as a unique selling proposition. It will also focus on the digital media and content marketing to entice travellers around the world to come and discover various Amazing Stories in Thailand.
TAT’s initiatives have included a plan to upgrade its tourism management efforts system wide as well as focussing its marketing activities more towards niche markets and specific customer segments including luxury travel, cruise, health and wellness, wedding and honeymoon, golf, and community based tourism. With the onset of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), TAT is now introducing a “Two Countries One Destination” package to global travellers, and plans to emphasise Thailand’s connectivity with Myanmar, Cambodia, Lao PDR., and Vietnam.
At the event, GTA and TAT announced a strategic partnership to promote luxury travel to Thailand whereby GTA and its partners will be offering travel options to Thailand that are in line with TAT’s strategy on promoting the kingdom as a “Quality Leisure Destination through Thainess.”
Contact Information
International Public Relations Division
Tourism Authority of Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4545-48
Fax: +66 (0) 2253 7419
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