Bangkok, 6 January 2017 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is bringing back the Thailand Tourism Festival (TTF) to Bangkok’s Lumpini Park to highlight some of the fun and fascinating attractions that can be enjoyed by local and international tourists travelling in the kingdom with free admission.
The Festival, which coincides with Chinese New Year 2017, will be held during 25-29 January, 2017, and is expected to attract over 650,000 visitors with 90 per cent of these visitors predicted to travel in Thailand in 2017. These trips could generate up to 400 million Baht in revenue.
Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of TAT said, “Thailand has so much to offer visitors and domestic tourists, and we want this year’s Thailand Tourism Festival to showcase the unique local experiences and attractions to be found in all parts of the nation.
“By visiting Lumpini Park, visitors can enjoy a taste of the foods, festivals and culture found in all five regions before they choose where to travel. They can also enjoy live music, cultural shows, lucky draws, and a wonderful holiday atmosphere with the best of Thailand on show in the heart of Bangkok.”
At the TTF 2017, activities will be organised with ten zones that highlight Thainess from the five main regions of Thailand – the North, Northeast, East, South and Central regions. Each of the zones will have demonstrations of the local culture and cuisine. There will also be the chance to make merit by giving alms at 7:00 a.m. to 88 monks on the first day. In addition, there will be a chance to win lucky draw prizes for any visitor who spends 10,000 Baht or more with flight tickets worth over a million Baht up for grabs.
The ten zones at the Thailand Tourism Festival include:
Zone 1: Botanical Gardens: Will have floral displays that honour King Rama IX and King Rama X; with exhibitions on the Royal Routes in the five regions where people can follow in the King’s Footsteps to see examples of projects initiated by Rama IX to help the Thai people.
Zone 2: Discover Thainess in Five Regions: Here visitors can discover Thailand, as there are examples of buildings from the five regions. There are also showcases of handicrafts and examples of culture and traditions. People can also see replicas of landmarks from the different regions; such as, temples and other highlights. There will also be a Northern village that teaches people about the local hill tribes, Doi Tung coffee shops and vegetables from the Royal Projects. The Northeastern (Isan) village will have a replica of Phra That Phanom. The Central village will have re-creations of famous markets and traditional houses as well as tasty local food. In a Southern Thai village, visitors will discover a city by the sea with Southern seafood and curries and a local market. The Eastern village will offer a variety of its attractions apart from beaches and islands including Eastern culture, way of life, and local food products that are unique to the area, as well as a representation of the region’s famous Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. There will also be exhibitions of Chantaburi’s famous gems.
Zone 3: Unique Culinary Delights: This zone will offer food from all five regions including 50 areas of Bangkok. This will enable visitors to get a taste of the vibrancy and variety of the kingdom’s cuisine.
Zone 4: The TAT Zone will showcase the work of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thailand Tourism Awards, activities and upcoming campaigns. There will be lots of information here for tourists looking to travel around the country. There will also be a range of food trucks selling tasty treats.
Zone 5: TAT Recommended Routes will tell visitors about fun tourist routes and travel packages; such as, Thailand’s 12 Hidden Gems.
Zone 6: Outdoor Fest is introducing a new style of travelling that will lead you to changing experiences in Thailand.
Zone 7: Main Stage where there will be many leading singers and entertainers singing pop and country songs, as well as cultural performances from the People’s Republic of China and plays.
Zone 8: China Town is celebrating the Chinese New Year 2017, which will be the Year of the Rooster. People visiting can have their fortunes read and pay respect to the Chinese gods. Chinese chefs will make delicious food and there are performers from the People’s Republic of China putting on shows. They can also learn about the different ways that Chinese New Year is celebrated across Thailand.
Zone 9: Geology Zone is home to a geological park including dinosaur exhibits, educational displays about fossils, and a big screen display through a virtual tour to tell people about the many discoveries made in the kingdom.
Zone 10: The Selfie Zone with the TAT’s Mascot, Nong Sukjai is the perfect venue for photographs as decorations and coloured lights reflecting the decorative styles of Thailand’s 77 provinces make for a perfect backdrop.
Also at the TTF 2017, eco-friendly activities; such as, recycling will be promoted via fun games. This is aimed at moving Thailand’s tourism industry towards being more sustainable and ensuring Thailand becomes a regional role model for green tourism.
“I feel sure that all visitors to this event will enjoy their time and feel inspired to travel to other areas around Thailand over the course of 2017. We can only offer a small taste of the kingdom’s delights, but we hope that is enough to give everyone, Thais and locals alike, the Thai travel bug,” said Mr. Yuthasak.
The Thailand Tourism Festival 2017 will be held from 25 – 29 January, at 14:00 to 22:00Hrs. at Lumpini Park. Visitors are encouraged to arrive by the BTS Sala Daeng Station or the MRT underground Silom Station.