German fair buffs thai image

"We had the idea for a Thai fair soon after the airport closure in December," said Nond Kalinta, Thai Airways' general manager for Germany, Austria and Eastern Europe.

"We held a press conference to inform the public that the situation in Thailand was not as bad as they thought. And we thought there should be a follow-up event to promote Thailand, not just tourism but also direct investment in Thailand."

As the street protests and violence erupted on the streets of Bangkok and Pattaya in April, Nond and private sector representatives in Frankfurt felt an even stronger urge to make the event happen. The three-day fair took place at Zeil, the shopping street in the heart of Frankfurt, Europe's finance capital.

It featured cultural shows, Thai cooking demonstrations, retails shops with Thai products such as fresh fruit and cooking ingredients and "Thai Select" restaurants. Booths sponsored by the Thai public and private sectors provided information on different aspects of Thailand and products to sample.

THAI's Nond said there were in fact not many flight cancellations during the havoc in December. The violence during Songkran also did not have much effect, because it was already the low season for German travel.

"The smaller volume of tourists to Thailand was not primarily a result of the political instabilities in Thailand but rather the global financial crisis, which prompted German consumers to play safe and stop spending," he said.

Nond noted that THAI had launched a special promotion for round-trip tickets to Bangkok.

"Thailand is one of the top Asian destinations for Germans, and 60 per cent of our customers are repeat passengers," said Nond, adding that THAI had operated in Frankfurt since 1973 and currently had two flights bound for Bangkok daily.

Jatuporn Wattansuwan, executive director of the Thai trade office in Frankfurt, said she had used the event as a platform to promote Thai fruit and other Thai food, with help from restaurants that won the Thai Select award.

"Because Thai cuisine is now very popular in Germany, there are a lot of imitations, but restaurants featured in this festival are only the certified ones, so Germans will be able to learn about authentic Thai food."

Thai Select is a certificate created by the Department Of Export Promotion in the Ministry of Commerce that recognises Thai restaurants for the quality and authenticity of their cuisine. More than 120 Thai restaurants in Germany have won the certification.

Frank Haussels, owner of Rama Day Spa in Frankfurt, said the political instability in Thailand had not directly hurt his business.

He described the event as a good initiative and an opportunity to promote his shop among Frankfurters.

"The promotion should not be a one-time thing," he said. "It should be done systematically and consecutively so that German customers are well aware of what Thailand has to offer."