Pattaya (Thailand) – May 30, 2019 (travelindex.com) – The country's premier B2B travel trade show, Thailand Travel Mart Plus Amazing Gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion (TTM+) 2019, will take place from June 5-7, 2019, in a larger and more attractive format, clearly reflecting its new direction in a rapidly evolving and highly competitive global environment.

Under the motto "New Facets of Emerging Destinations," TTM+ 2019 attracted a total of 351 buyers, 371 sellers, and approximately 130 international and national media representatives. For the second year running, the event was held at Ocean Marina Yacht Club, Southeast Asia's largest marina.

The official program begins on June 5, 2019, with the registration of buyers, sellers, and media representatives, a TTM talk session for all participants, a press briefing on Thailand, and a welcome reception. Business meetings will take place on June 6 and 7. Following this, buyers and media representatives will travel on June 8 for various excursions along Thailand's east coast.

The focus of the fair is on Thailand's emerging travel destinations across the country, 55 provinces with spectacular beauty, rich heritage, and cultural and culinary attractions.

Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the TAT, said: “This year’s theme reflects the consistent continuation of our long-standing strategy to promote our emerging destinations, with the aim of creating jobs and distributing revenue nationwide, from major cities to local communities, while ensuring sustainability by keeping visitor numbers to destinations in balance.”

International and domestic buyers alike will find that these 55 emerging destinations are perfectly tailored to their customers' needs, especially those seeking off-the-beaten-path holidays and returning customers looking for new offerings. In fact, we are already seeing initial success. In 2018, we recorded six million (6,223,183) international tourist trips to these cities, a 4.95 percent increase over 2017.

As of May 14, 2019, TTM+ 2019 had recorded 351 buyers from 51 countries. Of these, 185 were returning customers and 166 were first-time buyers. The largest group of buyers came from China (65), followed by the United Kingdom (29), India (23), Australia (18), Italy (15), the USA (15), Russia (14), and Brazil (13). Regionally, buyers from the EU, Africa, and the Middle East constituted the largest group with 136, followed by ASEAN, South Asia, and the South Pacific (95), East Asia (79), and the Americas (41).

The 371 registered providers are dominated by hotels and resorts (278), followed by travel agencies and tour operators (23), emerging destinations (20), the entertainment sector (12), the Greater Mekong Region (GMS) (10), national tourism organizations (NTOs) (10), associations (9), and other providers (9). Of these, 40.89% are from the South, 30.47% from the Central Region, 12.76% from the East, 5.47% from the North, 6.77% from the Northeast, 2.6% from the GMS, and 1.04% from national tourism organizations.

To discover all destinations in Thailand – from the famous sights to the 12 hidden gems and the 55 lesser-known destinations – visit VisitThailand.net.