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The participants represent travel companies, restaurants, airlines, souvenir shops and others.

 Pensuda Priaram, TAT deputy governor, noted that the number of Korean arrivals to Thailand has expanded sharply in the past five years. In 2006, Korea was the second only to Japan in terms of tourist arrivals, with 1.1 million tourists coming to Thailand. Mostly, they stayed in Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and Chiang Mai.

 The workshop is arranged mainly because of the rapid increase of freely individual tourists, who prefer arranging their itineraries by themselves particularly to Southern destinations of Thailand.

 "Personnel in the tourism industry should better understand the tourists' need. This will strengthen confidence in Thailand's brand and competitiveness, and eventually lead Thailand towards the "Tourism Capital of Asia" status," Pensuda said.

- The Nation