Three organisations join forces to develop tourism industry

BANGKOK, May 25 (TNA) -- Three organisations signed a memorandum of understanding to do researches on tourism and services to develop the tourism industry of Thailand. The signing happened during the Thailand Forum on Tourism Research Integration (TFTRI). It involved the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, the Thailand Research Fund and the Tourism Council of Thailand. Co-chairing the forum, Deputy Prime Minister Tanasak Patimapragorn said the MoU should result in new knowledge to meet demands in the tourism industry of Thailand. He also said the country was ranked 4th in Asia and 8th in the world among attractive tourist destinations. Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said Thai tourism would grow sustainably if all concerned parties cooperated and understood local traits which could be used as selling points to attract visitors. More than 300 representatives of governmental and private organisations as well as tourism-related parties attended the Thailand Forum on Tourism Research Integration to exchange their views. On the same occasion, researchers from the Thailand Research Fund presented their studies on cross-border tourism, constructive tourism, community-organised tourism, value-added tourism and the fair distribution of tourism-related income. (TNA)