Thailand to launch Andaman Sea tour campaign

BANGKOK, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is launching a major tour promotion campaign next week, especially for Thailand's southern tourist spots on the shores of the Andaman Sea.

The lady prime minister is scheduled to preside over the tour campaign entitled "The Andaman the World Living Legacy" in Phuket on Nov. 10. Featured will be carnival-like processions of local Thais living in and around tourist spots throughout the southern coastal region which includes the provinces of Ranong, Phang-nga, Krabi, Trang, Satoon and Phuket.

Each of the processions from the six Andaman seaside provinces will carry a title of its own to make one distinguish from another. For instance, Phuket's procession will have a title literally reading "400-Year-Old Andaman Phuket Miracles", Krabi's procession will be entitled "43,000-Year-Old Andaman Krabi Adventures" and Phang-nga's banners will read "2,000-Year-Old Andaman Phang-nga Beauty".

The campaign was primarily designed to exhibit indigenous custom, folklore and cultures of the Thai southern region which may be still considered exotic and attractive to foreign tourists in addition to its world-renowned tropical beach resorts.

The Thai government will see to it that those tourist spots will be made available for the tourists all year round and that they will eventually spend a longer period of time while in this country than ever, according to Yingluck.

The Thai prime minister earlier pledged to develop and promote the Andaman Sea's tourist sites as the government has planned to provide funding for the construction and improvement of infrastructures such as roads, railways, airports and piers throughout the region.

Five particular areas of the region will be given top priorities under the government's infrastructure development plans, including Krabi province's PP Islands and Ao Nang beach and Phuket 's Old Town area, Haad Patong beach and Laem Phromthep jutland area.

"We'll build up varied infrastructures as part of an ASEAN community connectivity scheme. That is to link our tourist spots with their surrounding neighborhoods and areas inside of the other ASEAN member countries.

"We're looking for ways and means to keep the foreign tourists going places and staying in Thailand longer than they may have planned. Yet, they are to be given quality accommodations and services while in our country," said Yingluck during a seminar on the government's southern tourism development projects in Krabi last September.

In particular, accommodations at airports and hotels, services at health spas, Thai foods and "OTOP" (one-tambon-one-product) indigenous products for sales to the tourists will be provided in environment-friendly, quality fashion, according to the lady prime minister.

Yingluck and her cabinet ministers recently visited four provinces on the shores of the Gulf of Thailand, including Chumporn, Surat Thani, Nakorn Srithammarat and Pattaloong, plus the world-renowned Koh Samui island off Surat Thani, and approved funds for varied tourism and infrastructure development projects.

Sourced: Xinhuanet