Thailand to Spearhead Tourism Recovery with International Travel Exhibition
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has confirmed that the Thailand Travel Mart Plus Amazing Gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion (TTM+ 2010) will be held from 8 – 10 September 2010, at the IMPACT Convention Center (Hall 9), Muang Thong Thani.
The Thailand Travel Mart Plus is the country’s premier annual trade event designed to promote travel and tourism to Thailand and its neighbours in the Greater Mekong Subregion.
The most important development this year is the changing mix of buyers. For the first time, buyers from India will head the list. At last count, 70 buyers from all over India, representing many different emerging customer niche-markets; such as, weddings and Bollywood productions, have been invited. They are among 341 buyers from 49 countries registered. Apart from India, the other large buyer delegates are from the USA (26), United Kingdom (24), Russia (22), and Korea (16).
TAT will invite new buyers from Brazil, Mexico, UAE, Turkey, Lithuania, and Kazakhstan to test the tourism products of Thailand. The buyers will be meeting with 428 registered as sellers from various business categories such as hotels and resorts, tour operators and travel agents, eco and adventure, wellness and spa, airlines, entertainment/theme parks/culture products, golf courses, associations, other travel services and the Greater Mekong Subregion/ NTOs.
One of the primary objectives of the TTM Plus is to provide a platform for Thailand’s small and medium sized entrepreneurs (SMEs) to find a market for their products and services on the international stage. This is because many of them cannot afford to go to foreign trade shows to improve their profile.
According to TAT Governor Mr Suraphon Svetasreni, “This year’s TTM Plus is very important for us because it comes as part of our recovery programme from the recent political unrest. It is also part of our strategy to diversify the sources of visitor arrivals and expose Thailand and the GMS region to new buyers from countries and regions which could deliver promising results in the future.”
A special welcome reception will be held at the IMPACT Exhibition Center for the TTM+ 2010 delegates on the evening of September 8th, followed by a Thailand Media Briefing with the theme; “Amazing Thailand, Always Amazes You”. Additionally, the Tourism Authority of Thailand will invite representatives from Madame Tussauds and the Mekong Tourism Forum to also conduct media briefings.
Events will conclude with a final thank-you party on September 10th. From 11 September onwards, several complimentary post-tours are being organised by TAT and the private sector to take delegates and the media to experience Thailand’s world-renowned natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. In a strong indication of the travel trends that are certain to gain popularity in the future, the familiarization post-tours centred on both health and wellness centres as well as boutique and luxury hotels have already been fully- booked.
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