Thailand rolls out new campaign to woo tourists

Thailand has launched a campaign to enhance the positive image of its tourism assets and soft power, reinforcing the country's image as a safe travel destination.

The campaign, entitled "Thais Always Care", was initiated by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, or TAT, and supported by the Tourist Police, Grab Taxi, a ride-hailing application, and real estate developer Central Pattana.

The campaign aims to promote the country as the land of CARE, or compassion, assistant, relief, and elevate — four elements believed to be the key features of the kingdom and also its commitment to travelers.

"The launch of the campaign is to ensure that tourists worldwide enjoy seamless travel experiences and they can feel safe in Thailand. This is an open communication with the Thais and foreign tourists, especially those from China, which has been a key source market for Thailand," TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said.

"We want to share with the world Thailand's ongoing efforts to raise safety standards in the travel and tourism industry, as well as the country's charms as a desirable destination for tourists to come and enjoy memorable, meaningful travel experiences."

Key source market

Last year, approximately 3.42 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand, according to the Thai government. Malaysians constituted the largest group of visitors to the kingdom, with around 4.4 million arrivals.

The Tourist Police bureau will step up safety and security measures by using modern technology to assist foreign tourists, including using a Tourist Police mobile truck to communicate with tourists, said Somchai Theerapatrpaisan, deputy commander of the bureau's General Staff Division.

Also, the bureau has released a mobile application, which offers help connecting foreign tourists with a 24-hour emergency center. The application is in several languages, including English, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, French, German and Arabic.

"This also serves as a coordinating center for international organizations and embassies to provide immediate assistance to international tourists," Somchai said.

Thailand is eyeing a 3.5 trillion baht ($101 billion) boost to the economy via the tourism sector this year, aiming to establish the nation as an all-season tourist hot spot.

As one of the country's leading ride-hailing apps, Grab Taxi has implemented a strict partner driver selection system, using AI-powered facial authentication and arranging online training on safe driving, employing real-time trip monitoring featuring GPS to track vehicles, and providing a safety feature to share real-time locations and provide assistance in case of emergency.

"Safety is the top priority to us," Worachat Luxkanalode, country head of Grab Thailand, said. "We hope that these features will strengthen the travelers' confidence and shape their impressive experience of traveling in Thailand."