Bangkok, 23 November, 2022 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is extending tourism cooperation with Japan’s Wakayama Prefecture with the renewal of the Letter of Intent (LOI) signed on 22 November by TAT Governor, Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, and Wakayama Prefecture Governor, Mr. Yoshinobu Nisaka.
The newly extended LOI covers two more years of tourism cooperation between TAT and Wakayama Prefecture. It also strengthens the existing partnership, which was first established in November 2018, to jointly promote two-way tourism through organising promotion activities and sharing intelligence.
Mr. Yuthasak said, “TAT is delighted to continue to strengthen the partnership and cooperation with Wakayama Prefecture. With global tourism gradually returning post-pandemic, we are committed to exerting all efforts in creating a tourism business ecosystem where all parties receive mutual benefits.”
Japan is one of Thailand’s important source markets. Pre-pandemic in 2019, Thailand recorded 1,787,185 Japanese tourists. For 2023, TAT aims to rebuild the Japanese market to 70% of the 2019 figure, or around 1.25 million arrivals.
Meanwhile, Japan is considered a popular destination for Thai outbound tourism. TAT’s cooperation with Wakayama Prefecture is expected to create greater awareness of the city among Thai travellers. Located in the Kansai Region of Japan, Wakayama Prefecture is known for Mount Koya, also known as Koyasan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the centre of Shingon Buddhism, one of the leading Buddhist sects in Japan.
