TOURISM AUTHORITY THAILAND UNVEILS “OPEN TO THE NEW SHADES” CAMPAIGN IN QATAR
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) promoted its new ‘Open to the New Shades’ campaign at the Crowne Plaza in Doha as part of its post-Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2019, roadshow event.
The roadshow, which took place from 2nd to 4th May, covered two countries, both of which are key markets for TAT. The post-ATM roadshow has seen TAT visit Kuwait (2nd May), with the team finishing the tour on on 4th May in Qatar. The roadshow serves to highlight Thailand’s many offerings to the travel industry in the Middle East region.
This year multiple Thai hotels, tour operators, medical service institutes and tourism related agencies from the private sector attended the roadshow, each highlighting the unique offerings available across the diverse nation.
The ‘Open to the New Shaded’ campaign by TAT showcases the diversity of Thailand and its many unique and undiscovered offerings for travellers. It comprises of five pillars: shades of Thai gastronomy, shades of nature and beach, shades of arts and crafts, shades of culture and shades of way of life.
In 2018, Thailand welcomed 38.2 million visitors, bringing in 63 billion USD in terms of tourism revenue – a 7.5 per cent increase on the previous year. Of those visitors, more than 550,000 were from the Middle East; generating an income of more than 1.4 billion USD.
Thailand is one of the leading destinations for visitors from Qatar, with many of those being repeat visitors. Qatar ranks amongst the top five countries in the Middle East with the highest number of visitors to Thailand. 2018 saw 35,838 tourists from Qatar visit Thailand, which was a 27.45 per cent increase from the previous year. This generated an income of over $101,920,815 USD – a substantial 24.21 per cent increase from 2017.
Mrs. Srisuda Wanapinyosak, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing (Europe, Africa, Middle East and Americas), TAT, said: “The Middle East is a key market for us and we are incredibly excited to see continued growth in visitors from the region. From white sand beaches to world-class wellness retreats, fascinating culture and the famous Thai gastronomy, Thailand offers something unique and exciting for every type of visitor from across the region.
This year, we want people to discover the incredible family-friendly hotels and activities on offer throughout Thailand, as well as uncover the hidden gems that are yet to be fully discovered. We’ve recently launched a landmark ‘Go Local’ campaign to promote Thailand’s emerging generation of secondary destinations which offers a new and exciting travel experience to tourists. We are truly pleased to be back in Qatar to showcase our offerings to this unique market and look forward to welcoming more visitors to the Land of Smiles throughout the year.”
The 26th edition of ATM, the leading global event for the Middle East travel industry took place from 28th April – 1st May in Dubai.
