Industry, buyers come together for tourism expo
In an effort to increase quality tourism, hundreds of buyers from 56 countries will meet 360 tourism operators in Thailand at an expo titled Thailand Travel Mart Plus Amazing Gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion ( TTM+).
The annual tourism trade event, which kicks off in Chiang Mai today and runs until Friday, is held a few months ahead of Thailand’s high- season period ( October to March).
Travel companies, hotels, entertainment firms, and transport and national tourism organisations from Europe, Southeast Asia, East Asia, the Americas, Oceania, the Middle East and Africa, will be showcasing their packages, services and itineraries at the three- day event.
“Although the event was created years ago, this is the first time it has attracted global buyers. The event aims to boost the proportion of quality tourists coming to the region,” said Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand ( TAT).
“The forum is another valuable component of the TTM+. The topics selected for this year are relevant to the entire travel and tourism industry in the GMS region,” Mr Yuthasak said. Participants will learn from well-known experts about the latest issues in the fields of communitybased tourism, gastronomy, tourism crisis management and e- commerce.
Mason Florence, chairman of World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, will speak about trends in the gastronomy industry, while David Beirman, senior lecturer at University of Technology Sydney, will talk about tourism crisis management. Sarah Mathews May, chairperson Pacific Asia Travel Association (Pata), will share her experience with e-commerce platforms.
Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Minister of Tourism and Sports, said Thailand should promote communitybased tourism and gastronomy to foreigners as part of its national tourism campaign.