TAT funds overseas tour operators to boost bookings

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is funding the likes of Kuoni, TUI, Thomas Cook, Trailfinders, Tez Tour, CFA Voyage, Expedia.com and Lastminute.com with joint advertisements of a Thailand Today publicity campaign that is backed by attractively-priced holidays from July 15 to September 30.

Thai Airways International is offering low-season net fares on 50 seats per flight on 11 European and Russian routes, targeting repeat visitors from London, Zurich, Rome, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Madrid, Moscow, Oslo, Athens, Stockholm and Paris.

The Thailand Travel Mart will continue the momentum when the promotion ends. The travel event from September 8 to 10 is expected to attract 300 to 400 international buyers.

TAT targets 4.2 million European visitors this year and 4.5 million next year. The country attracted four million European arrivals last year, a 1.77 per cent increase over 2008.

(Sources: Sirima Eamtako, Bangkok, TTGAsia)