Category: Events

Last week, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) managed an innovative hybrid event to show case Thailand’s tourism promotion strategy to a roomful of travel agents at Dolton House in Sydney, and a whole lot more throughout the country via a live online streaming event.

The afternoon’s presentations were inspiring, explaining the Kingdom’s strategy to reopen borders, a heightened focus on sustainable tourism and updates from over 20 Thai suppliers, airlines, hotels and attractions.

• 

• 

• 

• 

In between presentations, delegates enjoyed a delicious Thai lunch and enjoyed a cooking demonstration by Chat Thai’s celebrated chef; Palisa Anderson.

TAT Sydney Director Suladda Sarutilavan explained Thailand’s C-A-T policy for tackling the ever-changing the ever-changing situation:

• C for COPE. Cope and react to the situation, putting wellbeing and safety first.
• A for ADAPT. Implementing change through innovation and digital technology.
• T for TRANSFORM. Thailand is transforming to Quality Tourism, with a goal to enrich the experience for tourists, and the environment.

Roadmap to Recovery

The roadmap to reopening in Thailand starts with the ‘Phuket Sandbox’. Phuket will be the first region to open to vaccinated tourists on 1 July 2021, with an aim to have 70 per cent of the population vaccinated by the time borders open.

Then on 1 October, other major tourist destinations will follow suit including Krabi, Phang Nga, Surat Thani (including Ko Samui, Ko Phangan and Ko Tao), Chonburi (including Pattaya) and Chiang Mai.

Wellness and Responsible Travel

Two tourism categories that are a focus of TAT’s marketing efforts are wellness and responsible travel. Thailand is a destination that offers numerous world-class wellness retreats, that help you achieve any fitness goals.

• 

• 

• 

• 

The other focus is Responsible Travel which can be achieved by considering all tourism implications towards the environment, wildlife, plantations, to Thai locals.

“Our aim is to provide tourists with a more meaningful experience.”

Marketing in Lockdown

TAT has sponsored and partnered with several local events in Australia, to keep Thailand top-of-mind with all those Aussies with a pent-up desire to travel as soon as borders open.

With the family travel market in mind, TAT participated at this year’s Sydney Royal Easter Show and collaborated with NRL’s South Sydney Rabbitohs.

To highlight Thailand’s efforts to support and promote marine conservation and responsible tourism, TAT, in collaboration with the Thai Consulate Sydney, took part in a beach and underwater clean-up at Chowder Bay in Mosman.

Slow food, slow tourism.

To highlight Thailand’s gastronomy tourism strategy, Chat Thai’s Palisa Anderson gave a cooking demonstration with a difference, introducing a captivated audience to traditional Thai ingredients, and explaining the importance of using local seasonal produce, a strategy many of Thailand’s resorts have adopted to support local producers.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Thailand Experts

Also launched at the event, TAT’s new online training program for agents, an opportunity to upskill your knowledge of Thailand and new developments to the Kingdom’s tourism infrastructure, presented at the hybrid event by marketing manager Sherly Handjojo.

“We want to focus on the positive.”

Acclaimed chef, Chat Thai’s Palisa Anderson shares her recipe for Stir Fry Prawns with Glass Noodles & Ginger.

A farm-to-table chef, Palisa is best known for expanding the family business that began with her mother’s Chat Thai restaurants in Sydney to include several more eateries and stocks them all with organic produce from her Boon Luck Farm in Byron Bay.

Ingredients

• 8 green prawns, peeled and deveined 
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons red vinegar 
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Pearl River premium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon red boat fish sauce
• 50g pork leaf lard, cut into 2cm cubes 
• 150g dried glass noodles, soaked in cold water for 15 minutes
• 2 stalks Chinese celery, finely sliced on the diagonal, leaves reserved
• 3 green onions, cut into batons
• 1 tablespoon best quality sesame oil

Method

1. Peel the body shell off the prawns and make an incision along the back to reveal the vein, and remove it; keeping the head and tail intact.
2. Combine oyster sauce, vinegar, palm sugar, soy sauce and fish sauce. Set aside.
3. Once you have all the ingredients on hand, heat wok or frying pan over a high heat. 
4. Add pork fat and heat for about 5 minutes, until fat is melted and bits of pork meat (lardons) are golden and start to float. 
5. Remove the lardons and set them aside.
6. Add prawns to the wok and fry for a minute or so each side, until a light golden crust forms. Set prawns aside. 
7. Add pounded paste to the wok, reduce heat to medium, and stir-fry for a minute or 2, until fragrant and starting to turn golden.
8. Add glass noodles and celery stalks and toss to combine thoroughly, adding a little water if it starts to look too dry or sticks. 
9. Add oyster sauce mixture and stir to combine thoroughly, cover and cook for a further minute or so, until noodles are lovely and soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
10. Add celery leaves, and green onion, remove from the heat, return prawns to the wok and toss through.
11. Serve into shallow bowls, top with coriander leaves and reserved pork pieces and drizzle with sesame oil. 

To celebrate the Year of the Ox, enjoy discounts and promotional offers from a wide range of restaurants and shops in Sydney’s Thai Town.

Explore Thai Town and surrounds during Thai Town Lunar Week, 12 to 21 February 2021 and enjoy a wide range of special offers. To take advantage of Lunar Week offers, simply save the image of the Thai Town Lunar Week ‘Special Offer Voucher’ on your phone with the list of participating restaurants, grocery stores, gift shops, Thai massage centres and beauty salons.

Present the voucher at the shops which display the Thai Town Lunar Week sticker during the celebration week 12-21 February 2021 to receive a discount or complimentary gifts.

Click here for a full list of participating restaurants, day spas and retailers.

The temperature is nice and cool and flowers are in full bloom. December and January are good months to visit the cooler northern regions of Thailand. Here are our Top 5 suggestions for winter in Thailand. Continue reading “Where to chill out this winter in Thailand” →

Photographer Andy Yee visited the Yi Peng sky lantern festival in Chiang Mai and shares his experience here with us. This year’s Yi Peng Sky Lantern Festival will be held 11 to 12 November.

The Yi Peng sky lantern festival in Chiang Mai in Thailand is fast becoming popular with photographers, who will love the challenge of photographing thousands of lanterns being released simultaneously into the night sky. Continue reading “Photography tips for the Yi Peng Sky Lantern Festival” →

Join the Color Run Australia Love Tour this year and you could win a trip to Thailand for four people, staying at Sea Sand Sun Resort and Villas, Pattaya, including flights with SCOOT.

Color Run Australia participants can visit the Tourism of Authority of Thailand (TAT) booth in the Color Run Village to enter the competition and follow Hug Thailand on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for a chance to win tickets to the Color Run events around Australia.

Name:                        The Color Run Gold Coast
Date:                          18 August 2019
Venue:                       Great Lawn, Broadwater Parklands, Gold Coast, QLD

Name:                        The Color Run Perth
Date:                          20 October 2019
Venue:                       Claremont Showgrounds (Perth)

Name:                        The Color Run Sydney
Date:                          10 November 2019
Venue:                       Cathy Freeman Park, Sydney Olympic Park

Name:                        The Color Run Melbourne
Date:                          24 November 2019
Venue:                       Flemington Racecourse

Color Run Australia – how the event works

The Color Run is a five-kilometer, untimed event. At each kilometer mark, Color Runners are doused from head to toe in a different colored powder. Participants wear white at the starting line and finish the race plastered in color. Once the race is over, the fun continues at the Finish Festival, a larger-than-life party equipped with music, dancing, photo ops, activity booths, vendors, and more massive color throws., which create millions of vivid color combinations. Trust us, this is the best post-5K party on the planet!

Color Runners vary in demographics and reasons for running. With no winners or official times, The Color Run caters to everyone—first time runners to seasoned athletes. More than half of our participants are first-time 5K runners. The Color Run is proud to be a catalyst that inspires our participants to live a more active lifestyle, on top of having fun!

Color Run Australia – Giving Back

To date, The Color Run has donated more than $5 million to charity. As a for-profit event management company, we love getting the opportunity to partner with a charity partner to help shine a light on their amazing work. We have worked with more than 80 local and national charities since 2012. To learn more about how The Color Run works with charities, visit our Charity Page.

In 2019, The Color Run Australia is continuing to join forces with the Starlight Children’s Foundation as our Official Charity Partner, who are committed to bringing fun, joy and laughter to sick kids and their families. The Color Run encourages participants to raise funds and awareness for the incredible foundation with the help of volunteers and activations on site.

Color Run Australia – Background

Founded in 2011, The Color Run was the world’s first COLOR 5K and COLOR DASH event. By creating a race that’s more about the memories you make than your mile-per-minute, we make running accessible to everyone, no matter their experience level or ability.

For more information about joining a Color Run Australia event near you, visit the website.

You can celebrate some of Thailand’s most elaborate and popular festivals right here in Australia, including Songkran water festival and Loy Krathong. Find an event near you in our Thailand Festivals in Australia 2019 – Calendar of Events. Continue reading “From Songkran to Loy Krathong: a guide to Thai Festivals in Australia” →

Thailand will countdown the new year in spectacular fashion this year, in Bangkok as well as four emerging tourism provinces in Chiang Rai, Nakhon Phanom, Ratchaburi and Satun.

Spectacular fireworks and music and dance performances celebrating Thailand’s rich and diverse cultural heritage will be held at the following locations:

• Bangkok: ICONSIAM, the glittering new shopping, entertainment and educational complex on the Chao Phraya River, the River of Kings;
• Northern Region: Clock Tower, Chiang Rai province;
• Northeastern Region: Clock Tower, Nakhon Phanom province;
• Central Region: Clock Tower, Ratchaburi province;
• Southern Region: Pakbara Pier, Satun province.

Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor (above photo), said; “This is our annual New Year gift to our foreign guests and the Thai people. I hope it will raise the happiness of everyone across the country.”

The “Amazing Thailand Countdown 2019” in Bangkok will begin at 6pm on 31 December 2018. This is six hours of back-to-back celebrations and performances based on the theme of “The River of Prosperity”.

The highlight will be a magnificent display of fireworks made from Thai sticky rice to ensure minimal environmental impact. The five-minute, five-part fireworks extravaganza will showcase the history of the Chao Phraya River pertaining to the Thai way of life, traditions and legends of Siam.

The best visibility spots are as follows: Peninsula Hotel, Millennial Hilton Hotel, Shangri-La Hotel, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel, Sathorn Bridge, Chaloem Phrakiat Park, Sathon Pier, Police Station 2, Khlong San Pier, Sampheng Parking Lot, CAT-Bang Rak Branch, Wat Suwan Pier, Siam Commercial Bank and LHONG 1919.