BAMRUNG AMNATCHAROENRIT THE NATION June 8, 2012 1:00 am

The move will follow the concept used for the World Travel Market in London and the ITB in Berlin, the world's leading trade travel market.

The two local fairs are held annually in June, but serve different purposes. The Thailand Tourism Festival (TTF) is aimed at encouraging local tourism, while the Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+) is a trading platform for international buyers to shop for local tourism products.

Combining them will help strengthen the Kingdom's claim to be a major tourism destination in the region in the lead-up to the Asean Economic Community in 2015, which will fan competition in the industry, TAT says.

Thawatchai Arunyik, TAT's deputy governor for domestic marketing, said at the TTF yesterday that the highlight of the new travel mart would be partly the pooling of the two fairs to demonstrate the diversity of local tourism products, especially to foreign eyes. Prominent products from communities across the nation will be exhibited and their economic potential displayed.

The venue will also serve as a platform for foreign buyers and local sellers to negotiate deals, while for domestic tourism, interested people will be welcomed.

The duration will be extended to seven from five days. In fact, the TTF is being held from June 6-10, while TTM+ runs from June 6-8. The location will remain the same - Muang Thong Thani.

The bigger event is expected to cost about Bt500 million to organise, up from between Bt60 million and Bt80 million at present. The increase comes from partly subsidising local operators and also spending on marketing campaigns to promote it internationally via TAT's 27 overseas offices.

Changing travel habits among consumers have prompted the change in structuring the travel fair. Keeping the fair traditional will no longer attract people's interest. To become a truly regional tourism hub, Thailand will have to open its platform even wider to welcome both business-oriented people and overseas tourism agencies to share knowledge so that the industry can progress.

At TTM+, the three-day event has attracted more than 473 buyers from 60 nations globally, while 381 local vendors are offering domestic tourism products and services in 12 categories.

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TAT's travel fairs to be combined