London (United Kingdom) – 31 October 2015 (travelinex) – HE Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports, reaffirmed plans to position Thailand as a high-quality leisure destination through Thainess at the Thailand Networking Lunch for buyers, invited delegates and media representatives, which took place on the first day of the World Travel Market (WTM) 2015.

HE Kobkarn explained: “We are now focusing on increasing visitor spending rather than visitor numbers. This means we need to offer value-added products and services and encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more. At the same time, we need to ensure a balance between tourism growth and its social and environmental impacts.”

The Thai government considers tourism one of its priority economic sectors and has approved several infrastructure projects to promote it, including the expansion of international airports in Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang), Phuket, and Pattaya. Plans also include modernizing the cruise port in Phuket, building new facilities in Krabi, Koh Samui, and Surat Thani, and establishing a superyacht market in Thailand.

His Excellency Kobkarn stated: “As Minister of Tourism and Sports, I would like to emphasize that there are clear links between the two sectors. There is a growing market of travelers who want to vacation in Thailand and also participate in sporting activities. We are now ready to unite tourism and sports into a single whole.”

Thailand is further developing its international profile as a host of world-class sporting events. As the birthplace of Muay Thai, Thailand is also positioning itself as an ideal place to experience this magnificent sport live. Other sports highlighted in Thailand's tourism marketing plans include sailing regattas, golf, and cycling.

Thailand also intends to leverage the benefits of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by introducing “Two Countries, One Destination” packages for international travelers, focusing on connections with Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

His Excellency Kobkarn explained: “Thailand is the only country with land borders on four ASEAN states (Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar). This makes us an ideal starting point for travel to some of the fastest-growing tourist destinations in the world. Furthermore, the Asian Highway Network, a vast road network, will facilitate access to all ASEAN countries, similar to how travel is done in Europe. This means a wealth of travel opportunities.”

The Thai Minister of Tourism also used WTM 2015 as a platform to introduce the new TAT Governor, Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, who had an outstanding career in the civil service prior to taking up his top post at Thailand's official tourism marketing authority in September 2015.

Mr. Yuthasak said: “It is an honor for me to assume an important role in the travel and tourism industry and thus contribute to the socio-economic development of Thailand, as well as the ASEAN and Asia-Pacific region. To increase our efficiency and further promote Thai tourism, I have based my vision on the so-called MOVE concept. This encompasses M: Marketing & More; O: Operational Excellence; V: Value Creation; and E: Effectiveness. All three aspects aim to position Thailand as a high-quality travel destination.”

Thailand welcomed over 24 million visitors in 2014, including six million from Europe, representing a market share of 24 percent. From January to September 2015, the Kingdom recorded over 22 million arrivals, an increase of 27 percent compared to the previous year, and generated estimated tourism revenue of 19 billion GBP (1.05 trillion baht). For 2015, Thailand anticipates tourism revenue of 25.5 billion GBP (1.4 trillion baht) from 28.8 million international visitors.

The United Kingdom is Thailand's second-largest source market for visitors from Europe. In 2014, Thailand welcomed over 871,000 British guests, with an average stay of approximately 17 days per person per visit – roughly twice the average stay for all visitors to Thailand (9.83 days). Their average daily spending amounted to 75 GBP (4,095 Baht) per person, an increase of 3 percent. This generated foreign exchange earnings of approximately 1.1 billion GBP (61 billion Baht), a rise of about 2 percent.

From January to September of this year, European visitors to Thailand generated revenue of approximately 4.9 billion GBP (271 billion Baht) through nearly four million guests. Of this, about 17 percent came from British tourists, who contributed 884 million GBP (48.62 billion Baht). Thailand anticipates 887,000 British visitors in 2015, who are expected to generate 1.15 billion GBP (63.13 billion Baht) in tourism revenue.

Contact information: 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) 2253 7419, E-mail: [email protected]