Thailand Travel Mart goes green
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Thailand Travel Mart 2011 (TTM Plus 2011) gets underway at Bangkok’s Impact Muang Thong Thani Exhibition Centre on 8 July. This year’s event, which runs for three days, will focus on environmental preservation under the theme of “Caring for the Earth”. Numerous tours are being organised for those wishing to get a first-hand experience.
Now in its 10th year, the TTM Plus is a travel trade show for Thailand and the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and the southern Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi.
TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni said; “We have worked hard to ensure that the TTM provides all participants with the opportunity to learn something new, make new contacts and be exposed to the many products and services emerging in the sub-region’s tourism industry.”
As of 18 May a total of 368 seller organisations had registered for the event, including 268 hotels and resorts, 36 travel agents and tour operators, three ecotourism and adventure operators, two spa companies, two airlines, 13 entertainment, theme park, culture products, two golf courses, nine associations, 15 companies from the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), seven other travel services and 11 from Chiang Mai Creative City.
They will have an opportunity to meet with 335 buyers from 54 countries. This year, the TAT has focused on inviting new buyers who do not operate tours to this part of the world. It has also paid particular attention to new and emerging markets; such as, Eastern Europe (Serbia, Slovenia and Czech Republic), the Baltic region (Estonia and Lithuania), South America (Peru, Argentina and Brazil), as well as the Middle East and South Africa markets.
Pre-tours will be held for buyers and media on 7 June, followed by the business functions on 8-10 June at the IMPACT Exhibition Centre Challenger Hall 5-6. Additional post-tours for buyers and media will be held on 11 June 2011.
The website www.tourismthailand.org/7greens will be launched at TTM 2011, intended to popularise the demand for green travel through electronic media and online networking and encourage the supply of environment-friendly tourism products amongst tour operators.
A ‘Green Tourism Forum for Buyers’ session will be held on 8 June 2011 with a keynote speech by Mr Suraphon on the topic of “Thailand Goes Green”. That will be followed by a panel discussion on “The Real Implementation of Green Tourism in Thailand.”
The panel will be moderated by Assistant Professor Dr Jutamas Wisansing, Executive Director and Consultant, Tourism and Hospitality Management, and feature Assistant Professor Dr Chirapol Sintunawa, Vice President and Secretary General of the Green Leaf Foundation, Mr Weera Bumrungsee, President of the Thai Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Association (TEATA) and Mr Frank Oostdam, Managing Director, the Netherlands Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (ANVR).
For sellers, a forum on the “Trend and Opportunity for Thai Tourism in the Future” will be held on 8 June, 2011. The panel discussion will be moderated by Assistant Professor Narudee Kristhanin, Executive Director and Consultant, Integrated Marketing and Customer Centricity and feature Mr Kris Lim, Director of the Strategic Intelligence Centre, Pacific Asia Travel Association and Mr Tommy Serban, Product Manager, TUI Nordic, Sweden.
TAT and related agencies have organised four routes of post-Mart tours with special discounts for buyers and media to visit and explore the green tourism products in Thailand during 11-13 June 2011. These tours will cover Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lamphun, Samut Songkhram, Phetchaburi, Nakhon Ratchasima and Nakhon Nayok.
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