Government to launch "Thailand Tourism Gateway"

BANGKOK, February 2 (TNA) - The government, through the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, plan to jointly launch the "Thailand Tourism Gateway" soon, aimed to woo more international visitors to the Thai Kingdom. ICT Minister Uttama Savanayana discussed the joint plan with Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul in Bangkok on Tuesday, as the plan is also aimed to encourage international tourists to spend more in Thailand. Uttama told journalists that under the plan, online channels will be applied to promote the Thai tourism, as an e-commerce platform will be developed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a database will be created to integrate domestic tourism-related information of the public sector and the digital content will be produced to boost the national tourism image, while a free wi-fi service will also be available for international tourists. According to the ICT minister, officials of the both Thai ministries are preparing details of the joint plan and discussing shared responsibilities to prevent the duplication of work before the plan will be proposed to the Cabinet for a final approval later. The tourism and sports minister noted, meanwhile, that the "Thailand Tourism Gateway" application will maintain the country's tourism competitiveness and reach all groups of international tourists via, now popular, online channels, while users will be able to reserve accommodations and tourist services in Thailand. The tourism and sports minister expressed her hope that the "Thailand Tourism Gateway" should encourage international visitors to stay longer and spend more in the country, while also helping gather information from users for concerned authorities to study to improve marketing campaigns. The minister stressed that the new application will be available to international visitors via free wi-fi networks for convenient access and easy service requests. (TNA)