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It is expected that the strong collaboration between Alibaba Group and Thai government will help attract more Chinese travellers to Thailand and increase the nation’s tourism income.
BANGKOK – The Tourism Authority of Thailand will expand cooperation with Alibaba’s online travel business, Fliggy, which is one of China’s leading online travel service providers.
The cooperation will focus on support for smart and digital tourism in Thailand. As an official strategic partner of TAT.
Fliggy will work with the body to offer smart technological experiences at multiple facilities and tourist attractions across Thailand for the convenience of visitors – ranging from online tour guides to electronic ticketing systems. Fliggy and Ant Financial, Alibaba Group’s affiliate and operator of Alipay, are also in active discussions with various related government agencies to drive a digital transformation of Thai tourism. The holistic change would start from applications for pre-departure visas and “visas on arrival”, through to payment of post-travel digital services and the tourist tax refund via the Alipay system.
It is expected that the strong collaboration between Alibaba Group and Thai government will help attract more Chinese travellers to Thailand and increase the nation’s tourism income.
Andrew J Wood was born in Yorkshire England, he is a former hotelier, Skalleague and travel writer. Andrew has 48 years of hospitality and travel experience. Educated at Batley Grammar School and a hotel graduate of Napier University, Edinburgh. Andrew started his career in London, working with various hotels. His first posting overseas was with Hilton International, in Paris, and he later arrived in Asia in 1991 on Bangkok with his appointment as Director of Marketing at the Shangri-La Hotel and has remained in Thailand ever since. Andrew has also worked with the Royal Garden Resort Group now Anantara (Vice President) and the Landmark Group of Hotels (Vice President of Sales and Marketing). Latterly he has been the General Manager at the Royal Cliff Group of Hotels in Pattaya and the Chaophya Park Hotel Bangkok & Resorts.
A past board member and Director of Skål International (SI), a former National President with SI Thailand and a two time past President of the Bangkok Club. Andrew is the former President of Skål Asia. In 2019, Andrew was awarded SKÅL’s highest award the distinction of Membre D’Honneur.
He is a regular guest lecturer at various Universities in Asia.
