LONDON — Thunkramom Ying Ubol Ratana Rajakanya shared her views on promoting Thai tourism in an interview after chairing the Amazing Thailand Night: Royal Gala Dinner 2024 in London, United Kingdom. This event was held in conjunction with the World Travel Market (WTM) 2024 from November 5-7 at ExCel London.
She began by mentioning “Moo Deng”, the famous pygmy hippo that has gained worldwide popularity, calling it a unique phenomenon with a positive impact on Thailand’s economy, society and culture. She jokingly added that if Moo Deng had not “withdrawn” from the race for the US presidency, she would have even received 91% of the vote.
“Moo Deng’s cuteness has sparked a phenomenon with tourists flocking to Thailand in droves. One American YouTuber, for example, flew 18 hours just to see Moo Deng for five minutes. She has already visited him twice. It’s an incredibly exciting event,” said Thunkramom Ying Ubol Ratana.
She suggested that Thailand should use Moo Deng’s fame to attract tourists to Chonburi, where the pygmy hippo lives at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo, as well as other surrounding provinces. Besides visiting the zoo, travelers in Chonburi can also enjoy the beach and fresh seafood. She also praised the director of Khao Kheow Zoo, noting that Moo Deng’s keeper is an experienced TikToker who has helped raise the hippo’s international fame.
In addition to promoting tourism, she called for this opportunity to be used to inspire children about animals and conservation and to encourage a movement towards sustainability as part of the country’s environmental awareness.
Thunkramom Ying Ubol Ratana said that sustainability tourism serves as a “vaccine” for tourism, especially as people become increasingly aware of how climate change is affecting us. She mentioned recent natural disasters such as flash floods in Chiang Rai and Spain. She emphasized the need for tourism to shift towards environmentally friendly practices and advocated for a shared responsibility for sustainable tourism.
She pointed out that eco-friendly tourism includes not throwing waste into the sea, walking and cycling to explore nature in a more sustainable way. She urged tourists to embrace nature-friendly activities because without natural resources, there are no tourist attractions and no tourism revenue. This is why awareness of sustainable tourism is so important.
For the “Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year 2025”, she advocated impressing and “wowing” everyone, especially as Thailand’s tourism industry recovers after COVID-19. Ubolratana called for special tourism experiences that remind visitors of Thailand and make them want to come back.
“We ask all Thai citizens to be gracious hosts and make Thailand a desirable destination that tourists will want to visit again. We invite tourists to experience the unique charm of Thailand, from Thai smiles and cuisine to Muay Thai and fashion shows. They can enjoy Thai textiles, see Moo Deng and participate in numerous festivals that get better every year,” she said.
She also highlighted the development of Thai textiles, describing them as a form of Thailand’s “soft power” that reflects the unique culture of each region. Thai silk, mudmee silk, praewa silk and natural indigo-dyed fabrics, such as those from Phrae province, all have distinctive characteristics. She mentioned that the integration of new technologies could improve the production of Thai textiles and enable innovative designs that showcase local cultures.
In addition, she emphasized how Thai textiles can be developed into products that have intergenerational appeal, such as clothes for dolls and art toys, so that they are accessible to people of different genders and ages. In this context, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) organized a campaign where the house’s teddy bears were dressed in various Thai textiles, including Muay Thai, LGBTQ+ Pride and Loy Krathong, to demonstrate the “soft power” of Thai culture.
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