TAT launches virtual tours to 4 top destinations in Thailand

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has launched a virtual reality tour of top attractions in four of Thailand’s leading tourism destinations comprising Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Surat Thani.

The tours are an immersive 360° adventure that allow visitors to explore the attractions in 3D. After clicking on individual links from the main page https://www.tourismthailand.org/Articles/virtual-tours, it leads visitors directly to the attraction.

There are icons on the bottom left for viewing floorplans and for navigation, while other functions allow visitors to view in VR or share with friends on social media.

Once inside an attraction, visitors can move around using the cursor, while some of the attractions have information about its historical background or details of items on display in both English and Thai.

The 3D virtual tour helps give visitors a visual image of each attraction and that will hopefully encourage them to visit some of them in real life in the near future.

In Bangkok, the Mekhala Ruchi Pavilion lets visitors virtually explore the two-storey teak wood building in all its glory, which was the residence of King Rama VI while Phayathai Palace was under construction. Meanwhile, the virtual tour of Thewarat Sapharom Hall showcases the elegant interior of the palace’s throne hall, and the Phiman Chakri Hall stands out for its iconic turret.

In Chiang Mai, visitors can dive deep into a virtual visit of Phra Chao Tan Chai Ma Tam Na Bun Chapel or the Big Reclining Buddha at Wat Chedi Luang. There is also a tour of Phra Maha That Chedi for the 12 astrological signs and Phra Chao Pun Ton. The final two attractions in Chiang Mai include the statue of Khruba Chao Teung Na Ta Si Lo and Ma Tam Na Bun Chapel.

In the southern region, there are virtual tours of Chedi Khao Hua Chuk in Surat Thani and Chinpracha House in Phuket.

The virtual reality tours give visitors a bird’s-eye view of these famous attraction, allowing them to move around simply by clicking on points of interest. The tours also allow virtual travellers to enjoy these Thai tourist attractions and get immersed in each one’s history. For more information, please visit https://www.tourismthailand.org/Articles/virtual-tours.

Source: https://www.tatnews.org/2021/01/tat-launches-virtual-tours-to-4-top-destinations-in-thailand/?fbclid=IwAR39NAp3nDaNU-YfwxKB5Db4-PblyHAJPe9XQjZt5SFbxVFnphKwKgeQy6E

TAT launches “Thailand Traveller Voice” online survey platform

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently launched the “Thailand Traveller Voice” online survey platform that encourages tourists to provide feedback and recommendations on issues affecting tourist destinations, attractions and establishments, especially on safety, hygiene, and general travel services.

Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor, said, “The Thailand Traveller Voice online platform formed part of the TAT’s strategy to utilise technology to develop a smart data system that can better support tourism development and serve the needs of tourists to help move Thailand forward.”

Available in English and Thai, the www.thailandtravellervoice.com platform is open for information and feedback from tourists on the sanitary standards under the Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration (SHA), the safety standards, and various aspects of tourism products and services.

Tourists can give comments, criticisms, or complaints on their experiences at any travel service providers in terms of quality, services, prices, information and assistance, and others. They are encouraged to provide details in writing accompanied by images or video clips, if any. They can also choose to omit personal information or provide for contactable customer support.

Tourists can also help review the Amazing Thailand SHA standards at certified establishments and services as well as events and festivals. Using the SHA ID, if any, for reference, they can fill out a questionnaire and series of rating based on a five-point scale on sanitary standards, staff hygiene, distancing measures, and any other concerns, accompanying by images or video clips, if any. The information will be submitted to the Amazing Thailand SHA Safety Standards Audit Committee.

In addition, tourists can give recommendations on the Thai tourism industry. The insights and suggestions will be shared with the respective organisations for tourism development and best approaches to benefit all stakeholders in every possible dimension.

Mr. Yuthasak added, “The Thailand Traveller Voice project is intended to build confidence and provide peace of mind to all tourists when travelling around the country.”

TAT is inviting travel service providers in Thailand to be a part of the Thailand Traveller Voice platform to allow for an open two-way dialogue. This will result in a large amount of aggregate data available, which can be used as part of the country’s sustainable tourism development.

Read more: https://www.tatnews.org/2021/01/tat-launches-thailand-traveller-voice-online-survey-platform/?fbclid=IwAR3-kquNoqYASy9AEsXwz8BLBzyKzl0V6dCKc0HPxEZ47Uo-k1ocs8MXlUU

Zoom enables virtual guided tours

Exploration Travel Myanmar has announced a new tour that visits the Unesco World heritage temples of Bagan virtually of course.

In the first week of operation, the company says it has sold several tours to clients from tour operators in Germany and the Netherlands and is planning to expand to other tour operators worldwide and other locations in Myanmar.

According to Exploration’s Managing Director, Edwin Briels, the main reason to launch these virtual tours is to “create jobs and income for Bagan based tourist guides who have been deprived of any income for since March last year.

Overseas tour operators can book a private tour in Bagan that lasts about 45 minutes, using Zoom software. The guide has a camera with stabiliser, an electric bike and a mobile phone connection and takes the clients along a predetermined route explaining the history of Bagan, the lifestyles in villages while showing some of the highlighted temples such as Ananda and the Dhammayangyi temple.

During the tour, clients can interact with the guide and request specific camera in various directions. In much the same way as an in-person tour, they can ask questions while the private guide acts as their eyes and ears on the ground.

Briels said clients could ask family members or friends to join the tour from the comfort of their own home. The service is limited to a group of no more than 10 persons. 

“We have also received requests from clients who visited Bagan in the past and want to re-visit with the same guide so they can also show their family members what they experienced pre-Covid times.”

See a short video of Exploration’s virtual Bagan tour on YouTube

The company has been restructuring and is actively adapting to the new normal since the Myanmar government closed international airports in April 2020.

After the first Covid-19 wave, the company took over Grasshopper Adventures Myanmar aiming to offer more nature experiences, cycling biking, trekking and kayaking tours.

It also re-focused on the local Myanmar and expatriates market in Yangon and created new experiences within Yangon. Recently the company re-opened its Lalay Lodge in Ngapali beach after successfully passing the Myanmar government Covid-19 safety regulations.

Exploration Travel is the first DMC in Myanmar offer virtual tours after having seen the success of similar ventures in Singapore and from the start-up www.virtualtrips.io which recently gained funding.

Read more: https://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2021/01/zoom-enables-virtual-guided-tours/

UNWTO tracks travel recovery

As more countries around the world start easing travel restrictions, the UNWTO has launched a new tourism recovery tracker to support the sector’s rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Touted as the “most comprehensive tourism dashboard to date”, the tracker is the result of a partnership between the private sector and international organisations, including the ICAO, ForwardKeys, STR, Sojern and AirDNA.

Available for free, it covers key tourism performance indicators by month, regions and sub-regions, allowing for a real-time comparison of the sector recovery across the world and industries.

The UNWTO Tourism Recovery Tracker compiles all the relevant data in one place, giving governments and the private businesses the ability to track the recovery of tourism at global and regional level, alongside information on the top destinations for international tourism.

The tracker includes data on international tourist arrivals, seat capacity in international and domestic air routes, air travel bookings, hotel searches and bookings, occupancy rates and demand for short-term rentals.

According to UNWTO latest World Tourism Barometer, the massive drop in international travel demand over the period from January to June 2020 translates into a loss of 440 million international arrivals and about US$460 billion in export revenues from international tourism. This is around five times the loss in international tourism receipts recorded in 2009 amid the global economic and financial crisis.

Thailand towards 2030 – Future of Travel & Tourism

Through Smart Tourism, governments have the opportunity to utilize big data and relevant technologies to:
> Attract target travelers by having a better understanding of their preferences
> Facilitate traveler touchpoints along the entire travel journey
> Connect travelers with city infrastructure and commuter networks for a more seamless travel experience
> Serve travelers better by connecting data, travel providers and traveler touchpoints

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Government Helps Thai Farmers to Adjust to Online Market Sales

The Online Agricultural Product Marketing Project “Turning farmers into professional online traders” is one of the important projects, starting in March 2020, on which the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has cooperated with Lazada Thailand Co., Ltd., to help increase marketing channels for selling quality agricultural products directly from farmers to consumers.

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