"Green Season" Visits to Northern Thailand Boosted by TAT Specials

Online, September 3, 2011 (Newswire.com) - The TAT is getting behind the "Chiang Mai Best Deal" campaign in an effort to encourage "Green Season" travel to Northern Thailand. This is an ideal time to target Asian and South Pacific short-stay visitors to the region, especially young, Internet-savvy travelers looking for deals.

A series of three-day, 2-night packages are being reduced 15-20% to attract these visitors, with prices targeted at various segments of the target market. The 5,000 Baht package includes Thai massage and a ticket to the playhouse complex; the 9,000 Baht package includes accommodation, food, spa and car rental; and the 15,000 Baht package includes accommodation, private dinner, spa, and a 1-day tour. Excellent deals for young, thrifty travelers wanting to get away for a few days.

And Chiang Mai is the perfect place to go during the Green Season between May and October, when the typical late afternoon rains turn the newly planted ricefields a gorgeous, verdant green, and the dramatic skies make for exquisite photo opportunities.

More independent travelers can create their own tours on the website, with an exciting new range of products and tour routes such as adventure guide, nature guide, and shopping guide. There is much new and updated information on the site as well, including a schedule of events and festivals, and the latest currency and airline rates and timetables.

There are also more and more airlines serving Chiang Mai and the north of Thailand, presently numbering ten including Thai Airways International, Silk Air, Orient Thai, Air Bagan, Lao Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Korean Air, Bangkok Airways, Nok Air and Thai Air Asia.

Mr Sansern Ngaorungsi, TAT's Deputy Governor for International Marketing (Asia and South Pacific), gave the following details at a press conference announcing the promotion:

"This project is being organized by the TAT in cooperation with the Chiang Mai Tourism Business Association and over 180 local tourism partners; such as, hotels, golf courses, spas, department stores, and food shops. Visitors can book online through various websites (listed below) and gain access to special benefits and offers with discounts of up to 50%."

Mr Sansern added that the "TAT is expecting at least 50,000 visitors from Asia and the South Pacific region to take advantage of this campaign. It is designed to be easily bookable by the growing number of online-savvy young people, especially those seeking to get away for short weekend-breaks from cities in the Asia-Pacific region."

This is very much in line with the national economic development plan that aims to reduce imbalances between Thailand's different regions; further, it will provide a much needed to boost to the low season incomes of many small businesses.

As Chiang Mai continues to develop its unique brand of artistic, cultural, historical, and wellness tourism, it is important to promote and broadcast all these changes through as many channels as possible, especially the newer social media channels and online travel websites that a younger generation of visitors is turning to more and more.

And the Green Season is the perfect time to do this, when many are on term breaks from schools and colleges, and are looking for new, exciting destinations to explore, with Chiang Mai being the ideal place for the reasons noted above.

They are also able to more easily afford higher end accommodation than normal during this time period, when hotels, spas, wellness retreats, and deluxe resorts reduce their prices. Not only do they get the word out about the unique and distinctive character of the north, but they are more likely to return themselves later as they enter the workforce and can afford luxury holidays themselves.