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14 Feb, 2025

Are global Travel & Tourism leaders inspiring HOPE? Gallup report offers food for thought

Bangkok — A report on the future of global leadership by the Gallup Organisation says that inspiring hope is by far the most important characteristic followers seek in their leaders, especially young people. Next come trust, compassion and stability. As I combed through that report, the first question that came to mind was: Have Travel […]

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22 Jan, 2025

Launch Webinar: Thailand – The World’s First “Alliance of Civilisations” Destination

Bangkok - Does anyone know which country was the fastest growing source of visitor arrivals to Thailand in 2024? Saudi Arabia... Yes, that's right.. Saudi Arabia!! The total of 228,032 visitors was a whopping 660% increase over just 30,006 in pre-Covid 2019. Why? Entirely due to an outbreak of PEACE. Exactly three years ago this more…

8 Oct, 2024

A Compendium of Unmatched Lectures on Thailand: The Greatest Story in Global Tourism HiSTORY

I call Thailand "The Greatest Story in Global Tourism HiSTORY". For many good reasons. Privileged to have covered this dynamic sector since 1981, I have seen it grow from its early formative days to the boom era of mass-tourism. Thailand's great marketing campaigns, crisis situations, political upheavals and development challenges are more…

1 Feb, 2022

35 Years On: How Visit Thailand Year 1987 Revolutionised Global Tourism

The year 2022 marks the 35th anniversary of Visit Thailand Year 1987, the record-breaking marketing extravaganza which revolutionised the Thai and global tourism industry. What lessons can be learned from its successes and failures? How can it help design a new post-pandemic model for global tourism? As Thailand Bureau Chief for the more…

2 Oct, 2021

Inaugural Global Lecture: “25 Women Who Put Thai Tourism on the Global Map”

As Thailand is reopening to tourism, a look back may help us look ahead more clearly. I am proud to be the first to launch this "Power of History" lecture series. All will be FREE but BY INVITATION more…

1 Jul, 2021

Inaugural “Power of History” Lecture: The Rise and Fall of PATA

Click here to register Click here to register The same lecture can be given privately at a more convenient time for those interested. For further inquiries and info, please email: more…

10 Jan, 2020

Unmatched Lectures on Thailand: The Greatest Story in Global Tourism HiSTORY

Bangkok - This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Thai Airways International, the two founding pillars of what is now the kingdom's largest service economy sector and job-creator. This meteoric rise did not happen by chance. It was the result of a broad range more…

15 Nov, 2019

How 1987 Visit Thailand Year Revolutionised Global Travel & Tourism

One of the world's greatest tourism marketing extravaganzas, 1987 Visit Thailand Year changed the face of global Travel & Tourism. While establishing Thailand's marketing genius, it also exposed the kingdom's management deficiencies. Today, as the country prepares to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Thai more…

18 Mar, 2019

June 14, 2019: First Forum on The Greatest Story in Global Tourism HiSTORY

Bangkok – At 0900 hrs on March 18, exactly 59 years ago, what was then known as the Tourist Organisation of Thailand opened for business. Its duty, in the words of Gen Chalermchai Charuvastr, its first Director-General, was to promote visitor arrivals by "creating a wholesome image" of the Thai more…

11 Apr, 2018

FREE DOWNLOAD: The Next Big Thing – Thailand Outbound Travel Report 2018

Bangkok -- Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil has made travel journalism history yet again by publishing the first report on the surging Thai outbound travel industry. The report is being made available FREE, thanks to support from Minister of Tourism and Sports Weerasak Kowsurat and Tourism Authority of Thailand more…

17 Jul, 2017

FREE DOWNLOAD: The Olive Tree – How Travel & Tourism can Contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

The Olive Tree is the first and only publication designed to help Travel & Tourism become a more committed part of the solution in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Free download. Click on any of the images below. ++++++++++ The Olive Tree Edition 20, July-August 2020 [caption id="attachment_60510" align="aligncenter" width="432"] Click on more…

1 Dec, 2016

Call for Entries: The First ASEAN Travel & Tourism Hall of Fame

By Imtiaz Muqbil, Executive Editor, Travel Impact Newswire Bangkok – Today marks the launch of the ASEAN Travel & Tourism Hall of Fame (ATTHoF), the first global website to honour the achievements of the many industry veterans and stalwarts who elevated this robust and dynamic industry to its present heights. Click here more…

13 Feb, 2025

Thailand hosts first batch of 14 Saudi tourism interns

Bangkok - Fourteen Saudi students of tourism and hospitality management have arrived in Thailand for an inaugural training and internship programme to learn from the Thai tourism experience. Thailand is the first Asian country chosen for this on-the-job training programme funded entirely by the Saudi Ministry of Tourism, including air-fares, more…

10 Feb, 2025

Time for Travel & Tourism Leaders to do their job

By Imtiaz Muqbil, Executive Editor, Travel Impact Newswire Notice how loudly the volume has been turned up on the topic of Peace and Tourism? Like the debate on sustainability, it may turn out to be too little too late. The relationship between tourism and sustainability has been on the industry agenda since the more…

9 Feb, 2025

The Siam Society boosts culture, heritage links with Saudi Research and Archives Foundation

Bangkok - Relations between Thailand and Saudi Arabia took another small but significant step forward with the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between two of the countries' leading institutions of culture, history and heritage. The agreement will further cement a rapidly expanding multi-sectoral Alliance of Civilisations between the world's more…

7 Feb, 2025

Thailand arrivals growth slows in Jan 2025 as competitors surge

Bangkok -- Declines in arrivals from 24 source-markets in January 2025, including countries such as Malaysia, India, Singapore, Japan, USA and UK, slowed what was otherwise turning out to be a strong five-month surge in tourism to Thailand since September 2024. The total arrivals of 3,709,102 in January 2025 were a more…

3 Feb, 2025

FREE webinar: Why Unconditional Support for Israel is Bad for America and Americans

Bangkok -- The Donald Trump administration's growing list of actions disrupting global peace, security and stability are facing increasing resistance and pushback. One of the most controversial ones is the President's publicly stated goal to "clean out Gaza", the latest in a long list of political, diplomatic and economic actions more…

2 Feb, 2025

Thai spiritual leaders unite to advance “Peace Tourism” Soft Power agenda

Bangkok - Thailand's status as an Alliance of Civilisations Destination took a giant step forward on 01 Feb 2025. Spiritual leaders of the Buddhist, Muslim and Christian faiths declared themselves to be a "Model Multicultural Community" by installing prominent signboards at the front entrances of their respective houses of worship. In more…

31 Jan, 2025

Uzbekistan, Thailand Forge Alliance of Civilisations via Music, Dance and Cuisine

Bangkok - The Music Hall at Thailand's renowned Chulalongkorn University came alive with a colourful fusion of dance, culture and cuisine at the Thai-Uzbek Art Concert organised for the first time on 29 January 2025. The lively performances by both Uzbek and Thai artistes underscored the profoundly important role of more…

28 Jan, 2025

Powerful book explains why Thailand is the “Coup Capital of Asia”, and what could happen next

Bangkok - To visualise Thailand's development scenarios over the next 10 years, read "The Praetorian Kingdom", a powerful, detailed account of Thailand’s military from its founding in 1852 up until 2023, its relations with the Thai monarchy and the political establishment. A masterpiece of historical research, the book shows that more…

9 Jan, 2025

Collapse of World Economic Forum “Peace & Security” index exposes poor decision-making by global business leaders

Bangkok -- A measurement index of global cooperation in the field of "Peace & Security" has fallen to its lowest level ever. As a result of the growing sense of insecurity and frustration with "the system", the patience of the global public is "wearing thin because time is running out." more…

6 Jan, 2025

Warning signs emerge as Thai visitor arrivals fail to hit 2019 “normalcy” level

Bangkok - Preliminary visitor arrivals stats for 2024 show that Thailand ended the year below expectations. In fact, they are fraught with early-warning danger signs about the future growth prospects of Thai tourism in a rapidly changing and highly unstable operating environment, locally, regionally and globally. The preliminary stats show that more…

3 Jan, 2025

U.S. military contracts in December 2024 alone nearly equaled the entire U.N. budget for 2025

Bangkok -- American companies were awarded nearly US$3.5 billion (yes, that's right, billion) in military contracts just in the month of December 2024 alone. This included everything from drones and spare parts to satellites, military housing, drugs to combat the affect of radiation exposure, Artificial Intelligence capabilities, and more. One more…

1 Jan, 2025

“Peace & Tourism” Perspectives sure to reset the industry mindset in 2025 and beyond

Bangkok -- When the people lead, the leaders follow. That revolutionary shift has taken root as of the last week of 2024 when Juergen Thomas Steinmetz, Editor and Publisher of eTurboNews, sounded out a group of Travel & Tourism visionaries worldwide about their thoughts on Peace and Tourism, a highly more…

28 Dec, 2024

2025: Year of Thai Tourism History and Heritage

Presenting for the first time... An unmatched series of lectures on the History and Heritage of Thailand, The Greatest Story in Global Tourism HiSTORY. In 2025: The Tourism Authority of Thailand and Thai Airways International will turn 65. Vietnam will mark the 50th anniversary of the end of war. The UN Sustainable Development Goals will more…

25 Dec, 2024

Praying for Peace is Meaningless without Action to Build it

The annual Christmas-New Year break is a season for festivity, merriment and exchanging wishes for peace, happiness, health and prosperity. This year, I refrained from extending these perfunctory wishes. Instead, I explored alternative pathways to actually CREATE peace, happiness, prosperity and good health. That meant taking a deeper look at the more…

24 Dec, 2024

20 years on, crisis management and mitigation lessons of the tsunami must be learned, Thai Red Cross says

Bangkok -- In an age of escalating natural disasters and man-made crises, the Thai Red Cross Society has marked the 20th anniversary of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami with a commemorative publication recapping its experiences and reminding the public of the need to be ready and prepared at all times. In more…

19 Dec, 2024

Why Pre-Loved Luxury Products Are the New Black for Young Korean Shoppers

Singapore/Seoul, South Korea – 16 December 2024 – In a country renowned for its lavish consumption of luxury goods, South Korea is experiencing a profound shift in its shopping habits. Driven by economic pressures and a growing focus on sustainability, South Koreans are rethinking luxury and second-hand is winning, according more…

18 Dec, 2024

New Thai E-Visa scheme will NOT affect tourists from 93 visa-free countries

Bangkok -- Citizens of 93 countries eligible for visa-free access to Thailand can continue to travel as normal WITHOUT having to apply for the online E-Visa set to take effect as of 01 Jan 2025. The new scheme is only applicable to those coming for non-tourism purposes from the 93 more…

13 Dec, 2024

Launch of Thai Islands Clean-up Campaign reveals shocking level of garbage crisis

Bangkok – Thai environmental and tourism groups have teamed up to launch a garbage clean-up campaign on 30 popular tourist islands with the aim of creating a new world record by World Oceans Day June 8, 2025. Announced in a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) more…

12 Dec, 2024

Young people say freedom more important than climate justice

Bangkok - Young people participating in a webinar on Human Rights Day, December 10, have voted for freedom as being far more deserving of "urgent attention globally" than climate justice. The straw poll, conducted in a webinar featuring distinguished Professor Jeffrey Sachs, is a clear signal to the Travel & more…

8 Dec, 2024

Thailand should beware losing its unique culture, says award-winning, UK-born Buddhist monk

Bangkok - A Buddhist monk of British origin, co-winner of the 2024 Thailand Public Diplomacy Award, has told the Thai people that their most marvellous cultural asset, the Buddhist-rooted "natural, unforced, spontaneous acceptance of diversity," is at risk of disappearing in the face of the emergence of many "different Thailands". In more…

3 Dec, 2024

No Hope for Global Peace as “Merchants of Death”, Mostly American, Rake in Billions

Bangkok - The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the world's leading think-tank tracking global military expenditure, on 02 December released new data on revenues earned by the 100 largest companies dealing in weaponry and military services. What's that got to do with Travel & Tourism? Everything. The shocking statistics and more…

31 Oct, 2024

Thailand, Laos, Myanmar seek to head off looming dry-season haze and smog

Bangkok - Thailand, Myanmar and Laos have launched a Joint Plan of Action, under the name of "CLEAR Sky Strategy” to pre-empt and prevent the annual dry-season haze and smog caused largely by forest fires and agricultural burning. While the joint effort may help mitigate the problem to some extent, more…

25 Oct, 2024

Thai listed companies banking on tourism to prop up economy in 4th quarter 2024

Bangkok -- Thai companies listed on the stock market have begun releasing their performance reports for the 3rd quarter 2024 ending September. The first off the mark are three finance companies, one bank and the company managing investments in Samui Airport. All five have reported positive benefits from the upturn in more…

24 Oct, 2024

Two renowned female Thai chefs hold first charity event to alleviate plight of refugees

Bangkok -- Two of Thailand's most renowned female chefs with shared values rooted in their humble family origins teamed up for an exclusive International Chefs Day event that raised 800,000 baht for the UNHCR, the global refugee welfare agency now under immense pressure to cope with the growing number of more…

23 Oct, 2024

Thai visitor arrivals stats prove link between tourism and peace

Bangkok -- Thailand has reported 26.08 million arrivals in the nine-month Jan-Sept 2024 period, up 30.09% over the same period of 2023. A deeper analysis shows how the country is benefitting from both internal peace and external conflicts as it seeks to safeguard the role of tourism as an economic more…

13 Oct, 2024

Heard But Not Heeded: An 8th anniversary tribute to King Rama IX the Great

Today, Oct 13, 2024, marks the 8th death anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumibhol Adulyadej the Great, the country's longest reigning monarch, (9 June 1946 – 13 October 2016), known as the "Development King" and curator of the visionary nation-building formula known as the "Sufficiency Economy Philosophy," long before the more…

11 Oct, 2024

Sofitel marks 60th anniversary with masterpiece painting-cum-poetry exhibition in Bangkok

Bangkok - Thailand's status as an Alliance of Civilisations destinations has been embellished by a sensitively curated exhibition of paintings and poems in Thai, English and French on display at the Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit, the flagship Thai property of the Accor group. Part of a worldwide 60th anniversary commemoration of more…

23 Sep, 2024

Thousands Walk, Eat, Chill as Bangkok launches Car-Free street

Bangkok -- Thousands of Bangkokians and tourists thronged the Bantadthong road in downtown Bangkok to Walk, Eat, Chill over two evenings of car-free relief between 21-22 Sept 2024. The roughly 500-metre stretch of road, which is lined by about 200 SME eating outlets, came alive with families and young people more…