Thailand hosts ASEAN Tourism Forum

BANGKOK, Jan 30 (TNA) - Thailand hosted ASEAN tourism forum 2018 in the northern province of Chiang Mai last week. The event is aimed at making the region a united and single destination to welcome tourists from all over the world. Meanwhile, the host promotes the kingdom’s varieties of distinguished tourism products and tourist attractions. The 37th ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF 2018) is held at the Chiang Mai Exhibition and Convention Centre (CMECC) to promote ASEAN as single destinations. The event is attended by tourism ministers from ASEAN’s member countries. Main issues discussed at the forum are expansion of marketing campaigns, marine tourism development, and improvement of tourism personnel competency. Moreover, the event is a platform for business operators to present tourism products and service to buyers, who are leading tour agencies worldwide. It is expected that the number of tourists, visiting ASEAN region in 2018 will increase by 10 per cent year-on-year. Last year, the region welcomes more than 120 million visitors. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said about the TAT’s marketing campaign under the concept called “Open to the New Shades” that his agency will encourage visitors to discover new perspectives in existing attractions, or indulge in experiences in new tourist attractions. TAT has sub-themes to promote Gastronomy Tourism, Nature and Beach, Arts and Crafts, Culture, and Local Unique Way of Life. This year, the TAT has a policy to draw tourists to visit secondary destinations in order to create more jobs in the rural areas and to ensure a better distribution of tourism earnings. Last year, the kingdom recorded eight million tourist arrivals. - (TNA)