The Ocean Marina Yacht Club in Pattaya (Photo: www.bangkokpost.com) Bangkok (VNA) – The Tourism Authority ofThailand (TAT) aims to increase yacht tourism from Europe, especially fromlandlocked Eastern European countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary andPoland.
Srisuda Wanapinyosak, deputy governor of internationalmarketing for Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas at the TAT, saidthe agency’s office in Prague received many enquiries from Czech residentsabout the possibility of sailing on yachts to visit Thailand.
Travellers holding boating licences have cruised theirown yachts or chartered ships to the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman coast,where Phuket has several marinas, which receive some 1,500 yachts and cruisers eachyear.
The TAT is also striving for other marina tourismproducts, including cruisers. However, Srisuda acknowledged that Thailand needsto speed construction of dedicated ports for embarking cruise ships, which nowhave to dock at cargo container ports.
Eastern Europe is a major market of Thailand, witharrivals from the region growing to 523,000 visitors last year, up 9 percentfrom a year earlier.
Tourism receipts from the region grew by 23 percent to36 billion baht (1.15 billion USD) in the period.
The TAT also plans to use marketing promotions toattract arrivals from emerging markets in Africa and South America that have nodirect flights to Thailand.
The agency is working with leading airlines in theMiddle East such as Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines, enabling passengers tohave a special stopover in Qatar and enjoy a one-day trip before or after theirThailand vacation.-VNA
Srisuda Wanapinyosak, deputy governor of internationalmarketing for Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas at the TAT, saidthe agency’s office in Prague received many enquiries from Czech residentsabout the possibility of sailing on yachts to visit Thailand.
Travellers holding boating licences have cruised theirown yachts or chartered ships to the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman coast,where Phuket has several marinas, which receive some 1,500 yachts and cruisers eachyear.
The TAT is also striving for other marina tourismproducts, including cruisers. However, Srisuda acknowledged that Thailand needsto speed construction of dedicated ports for embarking cruise ships, which nowhave to dock at cargo container ports.
Eastern Europe is a major market of Thailand, witharrivals from the region growing to 523,000 visitors last year, up 9 percentfrom a year earlier.
Tourism receipts from the region grew by 23 percent to36 billion baht (1.15 billion USD) in the period.
The TAT also plans to use marketing promotions toattract arrivals from emerging markets in Africa and South America that have nodirect flights to Thailand.
The agency is working with leading airlines in theMiddle East such as Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines, enabling passengers tohave a special stopover in Qatar and enjoy a one-day trip before or after theirThailand vacation.-VNA
VNA
