BANGKOK, Jan 15 — Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday chairs the opening ceremony of the Discover Thainess 2015 in front of the Siam Discovery shopping centre at Pathumwan intersection in Bangkok to drum up the tourism campaign for international and domestic tourists.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) organises the event to show that Thailand is ready to welcome visitors and impress them with Thai traits.
Opening the Discover Thainess 2015 as well as the annual Thailand Tourism Festival, Gen Prayut said that the activities showed Thailand's preparation to enter the ASEAN Community and its abundant tourism resources to serve travelers.
He noted that it was good to launch the fair and the festival at Pathumwan intersection which had been occupied with political turmoil.
The intersection became the area of smiles, he said.
"Thailand is now full of smiles. Anyone who causes unrest in the country is not considered as Thai. I would like Thai people to learn the national history to develop love and care for the nation and refrain from ruining it. Everyone is the owner of the land and must not let anybody harm it," Gen Prayut said.
He said his government planned to promote tourism at all levels to stimulate the national economy.
The highlight of the opening ceremony was an inner-Bangkok parade of floats to mark the TAT's Thainess campaign this year.
The floats moved from Pathumwan intersection through Ratchaprasong intersection to Lumpini public park, the venue of the fair and the festival.
Both events show off tourist attractions and their outstanding related products from all regions of the country. They open to visitors from 4pm to 10pm on weekdays and from 12pm to 10pm on the weekend and will continue until Jan 18. (MCOT online news)
