Prior to the TTM+ (Thailand Travel Mart) which will take place at IMPACT from June 6 to 8, the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Narathiwat Office will organise a small trade fair at Ratchamangkala Stadium…
Prior to the TTM+ (Thailand Travel Mart) which will take place at IMPACT from June 6 to 8, the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Narathiwat Office will organise a small trade fair at Ratchamangkala Stadium to promote the provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala, the Kingdom’s three Southernmost provinces. The three provinces are predominantly Muslim (90%) from Malay culture.
The Provinces used to be for centuries part of nearby Malaysia (by then Malaya) before to be part of a territory exchange between Britain and Thailand. The Sultanate of Pattani was even the cradle of Malay culture with the first Koran being translated into Malay. Some testimonies of Pattani’s glorious past can be admired in the Museum of Prince of Songkhla University -Pattani Campus- as well as some of the region’s oldest mosques. History and Muslim heritage are the main attraction points to attract Thai Muslim residents or travellers interested to see a region with a rich past. Despite ongoing violence in the region, TAT Narathiwat Office wants to encourage traveller to tour Islamic Cultural Heritage sites.
In 2011, a travel fair of Southernmost provinces attracted some 3,000 visitors. Over the last few years, air access to Narathiwat improved with both low cost carriers Thai AirAsia and Nok Air offering daily flights from Bangkok while a few travel agencies propose packages in the Bangkok area. TAT Narathiwat estimates that at least some 5,000 potential visitors will visit Ratchamangkala Stadium.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
