Thailand's CIVs to become new tourist attractions

BANGKOK, April 5 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Industry is developing creative industrial villages (CIVs) nationwide to become new attractive sites for international tourist arrivals in the country. Thai Industry Minister Uttama Savanayana told journalists on Thursday, after a visit to his ministry by Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, that his ministry will launch a new project on developing CIVs nationwide where local community products will be produced and promoted to attract international visitors, as assigned by the deputy prime minister, who oversees economic affairs. Uttama said that after about 100 CIVs are initially developed nationwide by the end of 2018, he will order provincial industry offices to work together with provincial chambers of commerce in their respective areas to promote selective community products to showcase and draw in international tourists. Uttama revealed that he will call a meeting with officials from provincial industry offices nationwide next month to discuss progress on their selection of appropriate community products in their respective areas to draw in international visitors. The minister expressed his confidence that the project on the development of CIVs should become materialize within three months as suggested by the deputy prime minister. According to the Thai industry minister, his ministry plans to expand the implementation of the project on CIVs to cover all provinces across the country by 2019, aimed to create revenues of the CIVs to about 2.89 billion baht totally in the foreseeable future. (TNA)