Phuket named Thailand’s poster child for tourism

PHUKET: Phuket was named as the poster child of tourism for Thailand by Tourism and Sport Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul in an exclusive interview with the Phuket Gazette this week.

“Phuket is the image of Thailand. Therefore, if Phuket has a good image, so does Thailand,” Ms Kobkarn said.

Minister Kobkarn has become a regular visitor to the island following her appointment last August. Since then, Phuket has played host to 4th Asian Beach Games (story here), as well as the 16th Pencak Silat World Championships (story here).

Most recently the minister announced that she would be pushing to have yacht crew visa laws and superyacht chartering laws changed to bolster Phuket’s position as a international quality hub for boating in the region (story here).

“However, yachting is not the only tourism sector I would like to develop. We are looking at improving Thailand’s tourism industry in a variety of ways, especially in ways that increase tourist spending per head,” Ms Kobkarn said.

“Most tourists love Thailand and return time and time again, so new and interesting activities must be provided for them. Because of this, we will be promoting a wider array of activities.

Fundamentally, however, it is “Thainess” that is the country’s selling point Ms Kabkarn said.

“I personally believe that Thailand has its own unique charm that impresses tourists – this is our Thainess,” she said.

One of the Minister’s events scheduled for this year is the “Discover Thainess” campaign, which will be unveiled at Italy’s Milan Expo 2015 and run from May 1 to October 31.

In addition to promoting “Thainess” the minister is targeting the expatriate community, as well as sport, health and medical tourism.

— Chutharat Plerin