BANGKOK — Thailand’s tourism agency has welcomed a group of 29 Taiwanese travelers with mobility disabilities as part of a pilot program promoting Thailand as an inclusive, accessible destination, a senior official said.
Phattaranong Na Chiangmai, deputy governor for Asia and South Pacific markets at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said TAT and the Association of Thai Travel Agents jointly received the group at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The visitors, known as the Taiwan Accessible Tourism group, are from FLOW, Inc., a Taiwan-based social enterprise that supports employment for people with disabilities.
The group is in Thailand from November 18–22 for a five-day exploratory trip covering Bangkok and Ayutthaya. The itinerary includes visits to Wat Arun, Asiatique the Riverfront, and a Chao Phraya River night cruise, before heading to Ayutthaya to tour Wat Mahathat and Sriayutthaya Lion Park. Participants will also take part in a team-building activity involving an ancient-site treasure hunt at Wat Phra Si Sanphet and do some shopping before returning to Taiwan.
Phattaranong said Taiwan remains one of Thailand’s top six tourism markets. From January 1 to November 12, Thailand received 852,201 visitors from Taiwan, most of them independent travelers and repeat visitors. Taiwanese tourists stay an average of 6.24 days and spend about 36,960 baht per trip, she said.
Air connectivity between the two markets remains strong, with 2.3 million seats available in 2025 across eight major airlines serving six Thai airports: Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Mae Fah Luang, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Hat Yai. TAT aims to attract at least 1 million Taiwanese visitors in 2025, Phattaranong said.
She added that the current trip also serves as FLOW, Inc.’s annual company reward event. FLOW CEO Sabrina Chen joined the tour personally. The company specializes in Building Information Modeling (BIM) and cloud technology and reinvests its revenue to create job opportunities for people with disabilities as a social enterprise.
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