The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has opened online applications for buyers and sellers wishing to attend the Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+) to be held between 5-7 June at the Ocean Marina Yacht Club, Pattaya. Online applications will be open until 29 March, 2019. This is the second consecutive year that Thailand’s largest annual B2B tourism and travel trade event is being held at the marina. The event is designed largely to give the emerging generation of creative small- and medium-sized enterprises, especially those which cannot afford to attend international trade shows, an opportunity to network with international buyers.
This year, the theme of the ‘New Shades of Emerging Destinations’ is designed to encourage visitors to explore the new shades of Thailand in the 55 provinces identified as emerging destinations or the ‘hidden gems’ throughout the country. Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor, said: “Although Thailand is one country, every place has its own character. There’s more to Thailand than Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket waiting for visitors to discover. TAT is also trying to expose businesses from the emerging destinations to the international audiences in this year’s TTM+.”
He said that as part of the focus on responsible tourism development and to make the TTM+ 2019 a green event, TAT will continue last year’s campaign to cut back on plastic usage. Thai sellers will also be partly selected on the basis of their environmental commitment. First organised in 2001, the TTM+ today attracts about 350 sellers, primarily from Thailand with a small number from the neighbouring GMS countries. About 300 buyers from roughly 60 countries are fully hosted, but the event is also open to those wishing to attend on their own arrangements.