FAMIL: Off to Thailand for TAT’s Trade Meet and Famil

Thailand is the most visited country in Southeast Asia and her favourite country outside of Australia, says Teresa Russell. Bias declared.

I’ve happily visited Thailand around 20 times over the last 30 years, mostly for business in the 1990s and just as a tourist this century.

The kingdom is hoping to surpass its pre-pandemic levels of inbound tourists this year. But it’s not all about volume. Foreign tourists, predominantly from Europe, Malaysia, Singapore and India, spend 50 per cent more than internal tourists. Thailand wants to share inbound tourists across all its 77 provinces and avoid over-tourism – especially in Phuket, Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) development goals aim to ensure…