Bangkok, 18 February, 2016 – More than 160 Thai travel industry executives, mainly from small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) nationwide, attended a half-day seminar organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to help the emerging generation of sales and marketing executives get the most out of their participation in global travel trade shows.
The seminar was the first of its kind and part of an ongoing effort by TAT to help the travel industry cut through the clutter of proliferating travel trade shows worldwide.
The seminar topic was “Meet with Trade Show Gurus”. The “gurus” speaking at the event were: Mrs Sukanya Janchoo, General Manager of the Dusit Thani Hotel Bangkok; Mrs Prachoom Tantiprasertsuk, General Manager, Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket; Mr Vorasit Pongkumpunt, Group Vice President, Nora Beach Resort and Spa, Samui; Mrs Pornthip Hiranyakate, Managing Director, Destination Asia Thailand, and Mr Supodcha Swetiyaram, Director of Sales and Marketing, Gassan Golf and Resort Group. The event was moderated by Mr Sethaphan Buddhani, an executive of the Thai Hotels Association (THA) and a now-retired senior executive of the TAT.
In his opening remarks, TAT Governor Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn gave a broad overview of the performance of the Thai tourism industry in 2015 and the marketing strategies for 2016. He urged the private sector executives to focus on upgrading the quality of their products and services in the spirit of teamwork and a joint effort to position and promote Thailand as a “Quality Leisure Destination” through “Thainess”.
The seminar covered a broad range of topics ranging from pre-show preparations, budgeting, market research and analysis, understanding the buyers, following up the discussion and writing a post-show report.
Participants were urged to be very selective, targetted and focussed in deciding which event to attend, depending on the product they were selling and the market and customer segments they wished to attract. They were also given tips on how to make good use of social media and deal with Customs officers at airports.
Mr. Yuthasak said, “There are too many travel trade shows coming up. Helping the industry better understand which ones to attend and how to get the best return on investment of time and money is part of our responsibility, especially to the SMEs. I was very glad to see such a large turnout and wish to express my appreciation to the speakers for sharing such a wealth of knowledge and experience.”
Contact Information
International Public Relations Division
Tourism Authority of Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4545-48
Fax: +66 (0) 2253 7419
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.tatnews.org
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