Thailand Wants Travelers to Visit New Places: Will Tour Operators Get On Board?

Tourism in Thailand is going through a transitional period in which increased demand is compelling travel companies to offer vacationers many more options. At the Thailand Travel Mart in June, government officials worked hard to convince tour operators and hoteliers to look beyond the country's most popular destinations and push tourists to a variety of less-developed regions. The Tourism Authority of Thailand targeted 55 emerging destinations, which saw a 5 percent increase in arrivals by foreign tourists in 2018 over 2017. Most operators seemed receptive to expanding their current programs beyond the typical Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Koh Samui itineraries since North American operators, in particular, are seeing increased demand. Jeff Element, president of The Travel Corporation in Canada, emphasized its current tours mainly focus on culture and history and welcomes the push for emerging destinations and more local experiences. “This will help with our culture an