Yogyakarta, 6 February, 2023 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has staged a strong Thailand presence at the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2023 – on from 2-5 February, 2023, at Jogja Expo Center (JEC) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia – with the key message that “Thailand is fully reopen to tourism, and that with the ongoing ‘Visit Thailand Year: Amazing New Chapters’ campaign the kingdom is heading in a meaningful travel direction with a focus on high value and sustainable tourism.”
As always, at the centre of Thailand’s presence at ATF was the TAT’s Thailand Stand, where the theme in 2023 was ‘Visit Thailand Year 2023: Amazing New Chapters’. An array of tourist attractions, services and products from around Thailand was on show, along with demonstrations on making modern and traditional Thai arts and crafts, and highlights of how upcycling of products has been helping Thailand on its path towards more sustainable and responsible tourism.
Joining the TAT at the Thailand Stand was a delegation of nine sellers from Thailand, comprising eight hotels and THAI Smile Airways. They were among the 250 sellers and 250 buyers who were attending the TRAVEX travel exchange component of ATF.
As well as the Thailand Stand, the TAT also organised the ‘Amazing Thailand, Amazing New Chapters Reception’ on 2 February, to thank Thailand’s tourism partners around the world for their continuing confidence in the kingdom as one of the world’s most preferred holiday destinations.
The theme for the reception was Go North, which aimed to show that in addition to the bustling metropolis of Bangkok, the beautiful beaches and attractions of the South and East, Thailand also offered other equally attractive places to visit. The presentation of tourist attractions in the North, along with cultural performances, were a highlight of the reception.
During the event, the TAT has also conducted the Thailand Media Briefing to provide an update on Thailand’s tourism situation, to present the latest tourism strategies, and to highlight new tourism products and services.
Mr. Tanes Petsuwan, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing Asia and South Pacific, told the briefing “The ongoing ‘Visit Thailand Year: Amazing New Chapters’ campaign has been instrumental in telling the world that Thailand has fully re-opened to tourism, and in helping us to welcome 11.15 million international tourists in 2022.”
“The TAT is continuing with the long-standing ‘Amazing Thailand’ branding in its global marketing efforts, and accentuating this with the “Amazing New Chapters” concept to promote experience-based tourism and a drive towards more meaningful travel that is more sustainable and more responsible. This includes leveraging the kingdom’s 5F soft-power foundations of Food, Film, Festival, Fight and Fashion, and inviting the world’s travellers to enjoy new and existing tourism experiences on offer in Thailand.” For 2023, the TAT expects to welcome 25 million international tourists. The target for overall tourism revenue is 2.38 trillion Baht – representing a return to 80% of the pre-pandemic level seen in 2019.
