Bangkok, 22 February 2019 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is seeking to inspire environmental, cultural and social awareness among locals and visitors alike by placing responsible tourism at the heart of “The Seasons” travel short documentary series with 12 episodes uploaded and available for viewing on the TAT Newsroom from now until October 2019.

H.E. Weerasak Kowsurat, Minister of Tourism and Sports, said: “Responsible tourism plays a pivotal role in conserving nature for future generations, and sustainability is everyone’s responsibility. While Thai people will be encouraged to ensure the beauty of our natural and cultural heritages, visitors will be inspired to travel more responsibly and respect Thailand’s nature and culture.”

The Seasons is a unique documentary series that tells stories of the way of life of the Thai people, and the amazing scenery of 12 natural attractions in different seasons and regions. Four episodes have already been released: “Into the Rainforest”, “The End of the Cliff”, “The Highest Faith” and “Gone in the Mist”. The next episode, “The Sea of Lives,” is scheduled for March.

Mr. Tanes Petsuwan, TAT Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, said: “Each episode of The Seasons represents either one of Thailand’s three seasons: rainy, cool, and summer, while focusing on responsible and sustainable tourism to educate the public, students, media, tour operators and related agencies….

Lamphun was the capital of the Hariphunchai Kingdom and the northernmost city of the Mon Kingdom of the Dvaravati period, and in 1281 was brought into the new Lanna Kingdom by King Mengrai of which Chiang Mai was made the capital. In the late 19^th century, Lamphun became part of Siam.

Lamphun is most often visited as a day trip from Chiang Mai although it certainly warrants an overnight stay. It’s a 40-minute drive south from Chiang Mai passing through the exotic Northern Thai countryside and, if one takes the old Highway 106 route, along what’s known as the Rubber Tree Road. Much as the name suggests, a stretch of the road is lined with lofty rubber trees along both sides and makes for a pleasant photo opp.

Ancient Lamphun and Hariphunchai Tour

Once in Lamphun town, the provincial seat, the first place to visit for many is Wat Phrathat Hariphunchai, the province’s most famous temple. Its earliest origins date back to around 897 when the king of Hariphunchai is said to have had what is now the central stupa built to house a hair strand of the Buddha. Legend has it that the Buddha visited this area and in the temple compound’s southwestern corner there are footprint indentations said to be his.

While Wat Phrathat Hariphunchai’s central stupa is from the 9^th century, the temple compound was built during the 11^th century. There was restoration work carried out in the mid-15^th century, and then in the 1930s, renovations were done under the Buddhist monk Khruba Sriwichai, a Lamphun native who in his lifetime was involved in the repair and construction of over 100 temples, roads and other projects.

Along with its two chedis, Wat Phrathat Hariphunchai – upon which Chiang Mai’s famous Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep temple was modelled – has a 19^th century library, several Buddha images including one from the 15^th century, and an enormous bronze gong said to be the largest in the…

Bangkok, 30 January, 2019 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) was proud to be one of the co-sponsors of a major international conference organised at the Siam Society between 25-26 January, 2019, on the theme “Heritage Protection: The Asian Experience”.

The conference brought together thinkers, professionals and practitioners in the field of cultural heritage protection from Thailand and 12 Asian nations for two days of thought provoking discussions on how best to preserve and conserve cultural heritage within the context of the sweeping economic, technological, and social changes occurring across Asia and the world.

The organiser was the Siam Society, set up in 1904 under Royal Patronage to promote knowledge of the culture, history, arts and natural sciences of Thailand as well as those of neighbouring countries. The Society’s activities are guided by its motto: “Knowledge Gives Rise to Friendship”.

TAT Governor Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn said: “TAT was proud to join the Thai Ministry of Culture and PTT Global Chemical PCL as a sponsor of what clearly turned out to be a ground-breaking event in considering issues of cultural heritage protection in Asia.

“We were glad to see that the linkage between tourism and cultural heritage came up repeatedly during the discussion. This is exactly in line with our marketing concept of “Open to the New Shades”, which is based entirely on Thailand’s ability to welcome people of all cultures.

“We will be taking careful note of the conclusions and recommendations in formulating our future tourism development and marketing strategies, especially in promoting the new generation of emerging destinations around Thailand,” he added.

According to the Siam Society, the conference was designed to provide a platform for Asian speakers to describe cultural heritage from an Asian perspective, recognising the diversity of cultures and cultural heritage…

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) as announced that the Royal Thai Government has approved the extension of the visa-on-arrival fee waiver for citizens of 20 countries until 30 April.

The decision was announced in the Royal Thai Government Gazette on 11 January, reasoning it as a measure to stimulate and promote tourism as well as to enhance the kingdom’s attractiveness among foreign visitors during the high travel season.

Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said the continuation of the stimulus visa-on-arrival measure came at a perfect time as Thailand is set to celebrate Chinese New Year in February and the Thai New Year (Songkran) in April.

List of countries eligible for the visa-on-arrival fee waiver until 30 April

Citizens of Andora, Bulgaria, Bhutan, China including Taiwan, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan will be exempted from the 2,000 Baht visa-on-arrival fee for the purpose of touring in Thailand for not more than 15 days.

Chinese New Year celebrations are huge in Thailand, and this year will mark the 15^th anniversary of cooperation between TAT, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic or China, and the Chinese Embassy in…