Thailand to launch one-stop online tourism services

BANGKOK, January 8 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha has ordered the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to introduce "one-stop online tourism services" to facilitate international visitors and to further boost the domestic tourism. Thai Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul told journalists on Friday that the prime minister made the instruction at a meeting at Bangkok's Government House earlier in the day, during which she and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn reported on the results of Thailand's tourism promotions last year. Kobkarn said, in response to the prime minister's order, her ministry will launch the first phase of the one-stop online tourism services within this year. Kobkarn revealed the prime minister was informed that Thailand's tourism promotions in 2015, which emphasized Thai traits, successfully earned the Kingdom's tourism-related revenues up to 2.23 trillion baht, exceeding an earlier target of 2.20 trillion baht. According to the minister, foreign tourist arrivals in Thailand in 2015 totaled 29.88 million and spent a total of about 1.40 trillion baht in the country, while Thai tourists spent 790 billion baht in 2015. The minister announced that Thai traits remain the highlights of domestic tourism campaigns until next year and 12 more provinces will be promoted as the destinations that international visitors must not miss in order to further boost the domestic tourism and tourism-related revenues, focused on the cleanliness and hygiene of the 12 newly-promoted Thai tourist attractions. (TNA)