The Thai government strongly supports the advancement of the tourism industry within Thailand and the ASEAN region, especially under the "Five Countries, One Destination" scheme of the Ayeyawady – Chao Phraya – Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS).
The upgrading of the tourism industry in Thailand also aims to create opportunities for Thai people to travel the “ASEAN Community” as a whole.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva stated that tourism is a key industry that employs a large part of the workforce and contributes to the GDP of every ASEAN country. Thailand is determined to strengthen capacity - building of the industry workforce, transforming it into a more skilled and globalized workforce.
The ASEAN e - Travel Mart, the first of its kind was officially launched in 2011. It was a joint effort of the Tourism Technology Association, the ASEAN Tourism Association, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the International Institute for Trade and Development, and the members of the ASEAN tourism industry.
According to Prime Minister Abhisit, tourism has been one of Thailand’s most successful industries, with 19. 4 million foreign visitors to Thailand in 2017, generating 585 billion baht, which is 7 percent of the gross domestic product.
He explained that tourism in Thailand is using "greener" infrastructure. It is culture - friendly and it promotes the country’s heritage to the world. It generates income and creates jobs nationwide for Thai people. Despite the recent challenges of the global economic downturn, the Thai government is committed to ensuring that Thailand remains a peaceful, stable, and hospitable country to visit.
Tourism in Thailand is expected to be boosted even further due to the digitization of tourism services. These include increasing the number of tour sites, booking sites and flight sites. This allows for transactions to be done in more transparent ways allowing for consumers to have more trust in the transactions.
Creating more tourism platforms also allows for an increase in accessibility and everyone can readily get information online, make informed decisions and also make bookings online. This ease of use allows for the tourism industry in Thailand to thrive.
The Prime Minister pointed out that, in the ASEAN Community that is being established, Thailand expects to see an increase in the number of visitors to the country and the entire ASEAN region.
This will be realized with the ASEAN Master Plan on Connectivity, which includes many projects on physical, institutional, and people - to - people connectivity. To advance the tourism industry in the region, he called for heavy reliance on technology, especially information and communication technology (ICT), as many visitors to Thailand and the ASEAN region get to know about various destinations through the internet and tell friends what they have enjoyed through social networks.
The internet is also very useful in spreading publicity to promote ASEAN products and services. It is a powerful tool that can create a positive brand for the entire Southeast Asian region, through digital marketing. In this connection the Thai government believes in investing in modern technology, particularly ICT, to create infrastructure that will promise a better future for ASEAN people and their visitors.
The Prime Minister hopes that the ASEAN e - travel industry will be able to ensure greater reliability and safety for tourists who use ICT to search for tour packages, book hotels, and ultimately discover their destinations in standards that meet or exceed their expectations.
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