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15 Oct, 2014

Thailand launches campaign to promote family-friendly destinations

Bangkok, National News Bureau of Thailand, 15 Oct 2014 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is launching a new campaign to promote family-friendly destinations in the country in a bid to boost the economy.

TAT Director of Product Promotion Pataraporn Sithivanich said recognizing the importance of family units in the tourism sector, the body has decided to publish the Family Holiday Guidebook, which will be distributed to the public, free of charge. The guidebook contains lists of attractions, activities and accommodation that are family-friendly and can be enjoyed by children and adults alike.

With an aim to encourage families to travel more for leisure, the campaign will also promise to generate income for the local economy of family destinations.

The book categorizes destinations into 7 types, which include learning centers, museums, zoos and restaurants. The TAT has already set up sample tours for two of the recommended tour routes in the book. They are Chonburi’s Sattahip district and Nakhon Ratchasima’s Khao Yai.

Family members can visit the Sea Turtles Conservation Center and scuba dive in Chonburi and can take an agro tour around the Thai-Danish dairy farm and join a walk rally in Khao Yai.

The TAT hopes to also help foster strong bonds between family members through travel with the campaign. Strong family relationships have influence on the well-being of families and increase interactions between parents and children and help them connect on a deeper level.

Between January and September, international arrivals at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport were 9.1 million, down from 11.3 million in the same period last year, a 19% fall, according to the Immigration Police Bureau. The bureau also reported that visitors from all regions, with the exception of Eastern Europe, had plunged between five and 30%.

The TAT is preparing to launch another campaign called ’24 Hours Enjoy Thailand’ to attract foreigners to visit the country under martial law. According to the agency, martial law actually benefits tourism because it ensures that foreigners are safe round-the-clock.