The 4th Amazing Thailand Virtual Marketplace was a success by all accounts, with hundreds of travel professionals attending to connect with Thailand tourism officials and more than 40 suppliers as the beloved destination begins a phased reopening to travelers.
The two-day event featured appointment meetings for invaluable one-on-one time with key industry players, seminar sessions focusing on trends such as romance and wellness, an expansive exhibit hall introducing and connecting attendees to dozens of top suppliers including the likes of AVANI Hotels & Resorts and Abercrombie & Kent Southeast Asia and a special airlines pavilion highlighting carriers such as Japan Airlines, EVA Air, Bangkok Airways and Qatar Airways.
Attendees could also look forward to a virtual happy hour in the networking lounge, engage in face-to-face video chats, follow along on the live Twitter feed and even venture into the new selfie room where they could share a photo, gif or boomerang with the hashtag #ThailandVirtualEvent.
"The event is great. Good opportunity for both sellers and buyers to catch up to each other through a very interesting platform," said Nuttavadee Yoknamngern, Sales Manager for one of the many suppliers, Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River. "The exhibit hall is a great resource for the buyers who didn't get the chance to meet one on one due to unmatched slots."
Charlotte Chan, Account Executive, Global Sales for Japan Airlines, said the marketplace was "a very good chance for us to meet the potential buyers from different areas" and a convenient means of meeting serious travel professionals and exchanging information with them.
Speakers at the 4th Amazing Thailand Virtual Marketplace included Tourism Authority of Thailand Marketing Manager Sobhana Sucharitakul, Phuket Tourist Association President Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, Tourism Authority of Thailand Los Angeles Digital Marketing leader Candy Krajangsri, Executive Director of The Wedding Bliss Jess Tantapaiboon, Tourism Association of Koh Samui President Ratchaporn Poolsawadee, Tourism Authority of Thailand New York Office Marketing Manager Steve Johnson Stevenson and Japan Airlines sales specialist Steve Myer, among others.
Virtual marketplace attendees were also able to compete in various games and rack up points toward a plethora of exciting prizes, including the grand prize trip for two to Thailand.
"This was a really nice opportunity to meet with industry partners from across North and South America. It brought together both travel advisors and also tour operators and there was a nice mix of those who are brand new to travel to longstanding veterans who were interested to get an update on Thailand," added Sonja Stoerr, Regional Director of Sales & Marketing, Southeast Asia for Abercrombie & Kent Southeast Asia DMCs. "Overall, I think people are getting excited to know that Thailand is starting to open."
Visit VirtualTravelEvents.com for more information.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
