Bangkok (Thailand) – June 7, 2019 (travelindex.com) – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has introduced a simplified “ABC strategy” to promote emerging tourist destinations. This involves creating interconnected, themed travel itineraries to better distribute visitor flows across the country.

At the press conference in Thailand at the Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+) 2019, Mr. Tanes Petsuwan, Deputy Governor of the TAT for Marketing Communications, said that this year's TTM+ 2019 was themed "New Facets of Emerging Destinations" and was a continuation of the TAT's long-standing efforts to promote emerging destinations, create jobs and sustainably distribute revenue throughout the country.

He said Thailand now offers visitors seeking exciting new experiences at home and abroad a choice of 55 emerging destinations. In 2018, these destinations recorded 6 million (6,223,183) trips by foreign tourists, a growth of 4.95 percent compared to the previous year.

Mr. Tanes said the entire concept of positioning Thailand as a preferred travel destination is based on offering travelers high-quality products and services through unique local experiences, balancing quantity and quality as well as marketing and management.

In line with this policy and concept, the ABC strategy was introduced to ensure both clarity and simplicity:

A – Supplement: Connecting established and emerging cities: Link major tourist destinations with nearby emerging cities. In the north, for example, tourists can drive from Chiang Mai to Lamphun and Lampang within an hour. Similarly, on the east coast, Pattaya can be connected to Chanthaburi and Trat to the east.

B – Brand new: Promoting new, potentially emerging cities: Some popular destinations can be marketed individually thanks to their strong identity and positioning. Buri Ram in the northeast, for example, has a rich Khmer heritage and has been developing into a regional center for national and international sporting events since the opening of the Chang Arena and the Chang International Circuit.

C – Combined: Linking Emerging Cities: Some emerging cities lend themselves well to combined marketing due to their geographical proximity, shared history, and common civilizations. For example, Sukhothai, Phitsanulok, and Kamphaeng Phet form an excellent historical route, while Nakhon Si Thammarat and Phatthalung form a group due to their rich southern Chinese culture.