THAI pop culture (T-culture) could well be the next wave to sweep across Asia, said Suraphon Svetasreni, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), with the NTO identifying digital and celebrity marketing to boost the country’s image overseas.
Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily at the ASEAN NTOs Media Briefing, Suraphon said: “Culture and tourism always go well together in promoting a country. We see the potential of T-culture as Thai drama serials and pop singers are now very popular in China, and we are using Thai celebrities as our tourism ambassadors there. We will tap Thai pop culture through new media channels to reach new market segments.”
Last year, the soaring popularity of Chinese film Lost in Thailand – which was shot in Chiang Mai – played a part in sending more Chinese tourists to Thailand, said Sansern Ngaorungsi, TAT deputy governor of Asia and South Pacific market. Some 2.7 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand in 2012, up 47.1 per cent from 1.7 million in 2011, to become the kingdom’s top source country last year.
In the pipeline is another Chinese movie to be filmed in Thailand, Sansern added. Titled Stranger in Thailand, the film will be partially funded by TAT and the producers are already in discussion with TAT and the Thailand Film Office on potential shooting locations in the country.
Over 200 films were shot in Thailand last year, Sansern revealed, but none attracted as much fanfare as the Chinese film. The TAT has no plans to fund other movies at the moment, he added.
At the press conference, TAT also unveiled its latest TV commercial, A Warm Welcome to All World, which will be aired overseas.
Read more in the ATF Daily
