Bangkok (Thailand) – April 12, 2017 (travelindex.com) – The Thailand Travel Mart 2017 Plus Amazing Gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion (TTM+ 2017) is expected to see record numbers of shoppers when it takes place from June 14 to 16, 2017 at the Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre (CMECC).

The trade fair, taking place for the second time in the northern Thai capital, has already registered (registration deadline: March 23) 480 buyers from 64 countries and 354 sellers from Thailand and the GMS countries. As of April 11, 2017, Europe (182), East Asia (137), ASEAN (42), the Americas (38), Oceania (29), the Middle East (11), and Thailand (41) represented the largest buyer groups at TTM+ 2017.

Although the final figures will only be available shortly before the actual date, so far this is the highest participation ever, significantly more than the 343 buyers in 2016 and the 440 buyers in 2008.

The number of registered providers (354) is also higher than the 342 in 2016. These providers include hotels and resorts (272), tour operators and travel agencies (30), GMS (14), entertainment providers (11), sustainable tourism providers (8), associations (6), national tourism organizations (5), transport companies (4), and other travel service providers (4).

Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said: “This is a clear sign of the great interest in Thailand and especially in Northern Thailand. We are currently finalizing some very interesting events, activities and tours for the operators, which will certainly help them to better present Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand to their customers.”

This year marks the 16th consecutive year of TTM+, and its motto is "Offering unique experiences".

The event will open on June 14th from 1:30 PM to 2:00 PM, followed by a forum for sellers and buyers and then a presentation of local tourism products. The trade fair will take place from June 14th to 17th at the CMECC.

A welcome reception will be held at the CMECC on the evening of June 14. On June 15, the Upper Northern Provincial Cluster will host a reception themed "Lanna Night." The "TTM+ 2017" thank-you celebration will take place at the CMECC on June 16.

The decision to retain Chiang Mai as the venue for TTM+ for the second consecutive year is intended to ensure that buyers and media representatives have another opportunity to explore the many unique, emerging cultural and natural attractions of Northern Thailand and the neighboring countries of Myanmar and Laos.

This is also part of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's (TAT) strategy to better balance visitor distribution across the country. Although the vast majority of visitors head to Thailand's beach resorts on the south and east coasts, future potential lies in northern and northeastern Thailand, which has connecting routes to neighboring Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

In the first quarter of 2017, the number of visitor arrivals in Thailand jumped to 9.2 million, generating revenue of almost 5 million Thai Baht, representing increases of 2% and 7% respectively compared to the same period in 2016. Among these figures, the number of visitors from Southeast Asia rose by 18%, followed by the Americas (+14%), Europe (+8%), the Middle East (+7%), ASEAN (+3%), and Africa (+2%).

International Public Relations Department, Tourism Authority of Thailand, 1600 New Petchaburi Road, Makkasan, Ratchathevi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand, Tel.: +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4545-48, Fax: +66 (0) 2250 0246, E-mail: [email protected]