The North east is to be highlighted in domestic Tourism Campaigns during 2011.
See Also: http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/tourism/215253/isan-to-be-highlight-of-tat-2011-domestic-campaigns.
Bangkok, January 7, 2011 — The
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will kick off its annual promotions
for 2011 by highlighting the unique products and services of Northeast
Thailand, a culturally- and environmentally-rich region that is set to
attract extensive investment and travel interest in the years to come.
The “Amazing I-San Fair 2011” will
be held during 27-30 January 2011, at the Queen Sirikit National
Convention Center in Bangkok. It will highlight the tremendous diversity
of the northeastern region, as reflected in its art and culture,
ancient traditions, local cuisine, indigenous crafts, folk music, song
and dance, and traditional festivals.
The Fair will feature cultural
presentations, live demonstrations, folk performances and exhibits
designed to both entertain and educate visitors. The event is open free
of charge for the public daily from 10.00 hrs. till 20.00 hrs.
TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni
said, “We are very pleased to start the New Year by raising the profile
of the Northeast region amongst both foreign and domestic visitors. It
is very much in line with the balanced strategy that we are pursuing to
ensure that Northeast Thailand gets its fair share of visitors and
narrows the gap with other popular beach and marine tourism destinations
all along our coastlines.”
He said that it is also important
to facilitate the recovery of the various Northeast destinations and
businesses that were badly affected by the flooding late last year.
With the Asian Highway making
strong progress, the roads and bridges linking Thailand with its
neighbouring countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion, especially Lao
PDR and Cambodia, will further enhance the transportation infrastructure
and boost the accessibity of the entire region, Mr Suraphon said.
“In addition to all the superb
natural and cultural attractions, Northeast Thailand has also seen some
wonderful new boutique hotels that are perfect for small, exclusive
groups of travellers seeking to better explore this region, while
staying in comfortable surroundings.”
New flight connections are also
being established. For example, Thai AirAsia late last year inaugurated
two entirely new routes linking Phuket to both Udon Thani and Ubon
Ratchathani. Domestic airline Nok Air also provides daily flight
connections to both Udon and Ubon as well as the provinces of Buriram,
Nakhon Phanom, and Sakhon Nakhon.
The Fair is divided into 4 main
zones — an exhibition zone, seven Amazing I-san zones, a live
demonstration zone, and a dedicated area for cultural performances.
The exhibition zone features a full
range of I-san products and services, such as, special tour packages,
accommodation offers, airlines, local food, and other related services.
Each of the seven Amazing I-san
zones will highlight a different theme namely- 1) Charm of the Mekong
River 2) Destination of Natural Ozone 3) The Guiding Light of Buddhism
4) South I-san Civilization 5) Magnificent World Heritage and Ancient
Civilizations 6) Impressive Dinosaur Skeletons and Footprints 7) I-san
Boutique (trendy and chill out).
Live demonstrations will include
I-san crafts based on indigenous folk wisdom, sketching, drawing,
painting or weaving of native patterns, designs and motifs, some of
which are highly ornate, on textile, pottery, earthenware, silver,
musical instruments, and other materials.
Skilled artisans will also
demonstrate ways to make other handcrafted items; such as, organic
cotton weaving, pottery from Ban Chiang, various traditional I-San
musical instruments, basketry (including reed mats), painting on a Phi
Ta Khon mask, brassware, silverware, and others.
The cultural performances and
activities zone will include a variety of folk performances typically
performed during traditional festivals,as well as interesting and unseen
performances of I-san culture.
The packages and products are
expected to be heavily discounted in order to attract visitors. Mr
Suraphon said, “This would be a good time to plan ahead for the months
of April and May when the Royal Thai Government has declared a number of
long-weekend periods to facilitate domestic travel during the school
holiday and Songkran periods.”
TAT is expecting at least 60,000 visitors to the show with a projected business estimate of a minimum two million Baht.
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