Vietnamese business people have met with Chiang Mai
entrepreneurs for talks to open Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces to
Vietnamese tourists.
Pichai Raktasinha, director of the Indochina Marketing
Promotion of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) introduced Vietnam
business people to tourism-related entrepreneurs at Chiang Mai’s Empress
Hotel on May 19.
Chiang
Mai entrepreneurs meet with their Vietnamese counterparts.
Representatives from eight Vietnamese travel agents
visited the city to get information about the hotel, tour, resort, spa,
ornament and souvenir industries.
Pichai said that he was responsible for the tourism
market from Vietnam that was gradually developing. The number of Vietnamese
tourists to Thailand was increasing annually, as a result of TAT’s
marketing.
Currently Vietnamese tourists preferred Bangkok and
Pattaya. While the TAT realized that these two cities were important tourist
attractions, it was trying to promote Chiang Mai as another choice for their
vacation, Pichai said.
The TAT was therefore making use of an opportunity to
cooperate with Thai Airways International (THAI) to invite chief Vietnamese
tourism and travel entrepreneurs as well as journalists from Hanoimoi
newspaper, a prominent publication in Vietnam, to visit Chiang Mai and see
its tourist attractions first hand.
The Vietnamese entrepreneurs were also taken to the
Golden Triangle in Chiang Rai and on a boat trip to Laos and Mae Sai. “Our
guests were very satisfied, so it is possible Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai will
be promoted as new choices in Vietnam,” said Pichai.
Nond Kalinta, general manager of THAI based in Hanoi, said that during
last Songkran, Vietnamese journalists were brought to Chiang Mai to report
on the New Year festival. Subsequently, THAI launched a special package,
which included a flight to Chiang Mai plus hotel accommodation for three
nights, four days at USD 299. The package elicited moderate interest and
THAI planned to launch a new promotion for Vietnamese tourists until
October.
