TAT to focus on 'slow' markets

"The TAT aims to make China the biggest inbound market over the next three years," she said.

The TAT has also scheduled talks with the Japan Travel Association in a bid to lure tourists back to the Kingdom. It will add marketing activities to stimulate new bookings from Japan in the coming high season.

The authority will focus on key markets in Europe by introducing testimonialclip videos to boost the country. It also plans to bring Miss France contestants to a Phuket camp from October 1821.

The agency is in discussion with French charterflight operator SL about operating into Thailand dur¬ing the high season.

The media groups will visit tourist attractions in the North, Northeast, the three southernmost provinces and along the Andaman coast.

This is seen as an important part of the revised strate¬gies aimed at restoring the tourist sector in a relatively short period of time.

The TAT plans to use an extra Bt25 million for shortterm measures here and overseas. This will go towards hiring an extra 30 staff abroad and 24 domestically.

The agency has also revised its 2009 plans, with a focus on clarifying the political and travel situation in Thailand.

Wanchai projected that total visitor arrivals would grow by 6 per cent next year, as targeted.

Apart from international markets, the TAT will stimulate the domestic market by launching a new campaign next month for the promotion of highseason travel.

According to the TAT, the number of arrivals at Suvarnabhumi Airport during the first 10 days of the month dropped by 71,200 due to the political turmoil, resulting in lost revenue of Bt2.7 billion.

However, it believes the country can still attain its 2008 target for international visitors.

During the first six months, 6.5 million tourists vis¬ited the country, up 12.9 per cent from the same peri¬od last year.