The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is supporting the production of French movie, 'Largo Winch II', as part of its policy to promote Thailand's film industry.
About 60 per cent of this film, also featuring Thai actress Napakapapha Nakprasitte, entails Thai locations like Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son and Pattaya. Slated for screening late this year, it is the sequel to 'Largo Winch I', which was seen by over 1.4 million viewers in 480 theatres across France. It was also published in DVD format of which 480,000 copies were sold in Europe, America, and Asia.
TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni said, "The Tourism Authority of Thailand is pleased to support this French movie production, and we believe it will go a long way towards attracting more French visitors in the high-season in the fourth quarter of the year."
France is the third biggest source of visitor arrivals from European countries, after the U.K. and Germany. In 2009, French visitor arrivals to Thailand totalled 426,323, an increase of 7 per cent over 2008. French and most Europeans can obtain a 30-day visa-free facility at major international gateways.
As of February 2010, there are 14 weekly direct flights linking Bangkok and Paris operated by Air France and Thai Airways International. Other airlines also bring visitors to Thailand through other points like Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Frankfurt, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc.
French tourism to Thailand has shown a healthy growth in past years, and TAT is planning to further step up its profile in the French market, with a special focus on the high-end market.
According to the Thailand Film Office, in 2009, the line-up of film shoots in Thailand included 21 feature films, 92 advertisements, 85 documentaries, 25 TV series, and 42 music videos. These are estimated to have generated revenue of Bt497.01 million.
Film crews of various countries come to Thailand with India ranked number 1 followed by Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, the USA, Korea, China, and other countries in Asia. The Thai Film Board is also expanding its role to promote the industry and make it easier for foreign film makers to complete projects smoothly, which will help to promote Thailand to audiences worldwide.
