The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) held its first consultative meeting recently, in conjunction with the PATA Thailand Chapter, Skal Thailand, and tourism representatives from the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand.

The meeting debated over creating casinos and new man-made iconic attractions in Thailand; the rise of Asia, especially China, as a source market; the relative decline of Europe; the trade-offs between mass tourism and niche tourism, and the opportunities presented by better trans-ASEAN long distance road and rail links. Suraphon Svetasreni, governor, Tourism Authority of Thailand, identified digital marketing; sustainable and responsible tourism; brand positioning, and crisis communications as four themes that TAT needs to address. He further stated that TAT would take all these valuable inputs on-board for the 2011 TAT annual marketing plan and to formulate ideas for TAT’s 50th anniversary conference and debate, scheduled for 16 February 2011, as well as for TAT’s four-yearly corporate plan due 2012.