Jakarta (Indonesia) – September 14, 2016 (travelindex.com) – Thailand sees the accelerated ASEAN integration process as a great opportunity to attract more visitors to the ASEAN countries, according to Ms. Titiporn Manenate, Director of International Public Relations at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

In a press conference at the PATA Travel Mart 2016, which took place from September 7th to 9th at the International Convention Exhibition Center in Jakarta, Indonesia, Ms. Titiporn remarked that this was a very special event, as it was the first PTM since the start of the ASEAN integration process in 2016 and was taking place shortly before ASEAN's 50th anniversary in 2017.

From January to July 2016, Thailand welcomed 19.5 million international tourists, an increase of almost 12 percent, generating revenue of around US$27.5 billion (973 billion baht), an increase of 16.5 percent.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is pleased to announce that its work and campaigns have once again received international recognition, winning the Grand and Gold awards at the Pacific Asia Travel Association's (PATA) annual Gold Awards 2016.

The “One and Only” campaign, which invited travelers to discover Thailand and share their experiences, won the Grand Award in the Heritage and Culture category, while the book “Thailand from the Air” received the Gold Award in the Travel Journalism – Guidebook category.

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], Website: www.TATnews.org