Bangkok, Thailand, September 11, 2023 / TRAVELINDEX / Ms. Thapanee Kiatphaiboon assumed her post today as the new Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Ms. Thapanee has worked for the TAT since 1999, having earned a Master's degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Surrey in the UK. She has held various positions within the organization, including Deputy Governor for Tourism Products and Economics and, most recently, Deputy Governor for Domestic Marketing.

In her last role as Deputy Governor of the TAT for Domestic Marketing, Ms. Thapanee initiated various tourism projects to boost the Thai economy. These included workations in Thailand, religious tourism routes, and solo travel – which helped promote 151.45 million domestic trips in 2022 – about 88% of the record year of 2019 – and generate 641.5 billion baht.

In her role as Deputy Governor for Tourism Products and the Economy, Ms. Thapanee was recognized for her leadership in initiating the "Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration" (SHA) certification program. This program enabled hotels and service providers to meet specific health and safety standards. During the strict COVID-19 measures, participation in the program became mandatory for hotels wishing to register as quarantine facilities and also received international recognition in accordance with the WTTC SafeTravels protocols.

She also initiated the Special Tourist Visa (STV) program to promote the reopening of Thailand, which led to the creation of other entry programs such as Villa Quarantine, Yacht Quarantine and Golf Quarantine, as well as the Phuket Sandbox, which was internationally recognized as a model for the reopening of the country.

Ms. Thapanee is considered an expert in social media and technology and has made a significant contribution to promoting and developing tourism in Thailand through the use of technology and social media. Her outstanding achievements in this field include the Google Street View project in collaboration with Google Thailand and the social media platforms of "Amazing Thailand".

As a champion of Thai tourism, Ms. Thapanee has made significant contributions to the development of various specialized tourism products, including health and wellness tourism, yacht and cruise tourism, and community tourism, as well as the "King's Wisdom for Sustainable Tourism" project, which won the PATA Grand Award in the Education and Training category in 2018.

In her earlier years at TAT, Ms. Thapanee was widely recognized for her contribution to promoting and developing intraregional travel within the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).