When Norwegian Tommy Jeppson arrived in Phuket International Airport on Friday 20 November, he had no idea he was the 26th millionth visitor in Thailand.
Nor did he know that this title made him guest of honor at the arrival hall. He was bombarded with a welcoming ceremony and free gifts after he landed at Phuket International Airport on Friday 20 November. The party was led by Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, where Tommy Jeppsson was awarded with two economy-class return tickets from his home to Thailand, a voucher for a five-night stay in luxury accommodation, a 4G mobile phone, and the most prestigious of all, a “Thailand’s Luckiest Visitor” certificate.
““Thailand’s Luckiest Visitor” activity will put us on the map again and it will boost tourism and the economy. More and more travellers will want to come to Thailand and I think we will reach our goal and maybe will welcome more than 28.8 million international visitors by December”, says Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul.
The “Thailand’s Luckiest Visitor” activity, launched in June this year, is in conjunction with the “2015 Discover Thainess” campaign that aims to encourage the number of international tourists to visit Thailand in order to explore the endless charm of Thailand, the diversity of destinations, full flavours of Thai cuisine, fascinating uniqueness of the traditions and culture, as well as the friendliness of its people which brings about a memorable journey that sets the travelling experience apart from other countries.
Tommy Jeppson have already visited Thailand seven times before. Every stay has been in Phuket.
“I chose Phuket as my travel destination for the winter break so I can enjoy the nice weather, amazing Thai food and culture, beaches and natural attractions,” he says.
With his new return-tickets from “Thailand’s Luckiets Visitor” he can chose Thailand as his travel destination for the spring (or any other season) break too.
Visitor numbers to Thailand for this year surged from 25 million to 26 million in just 10 days as the Kingdom counts down to the end of year. Thailand aims to welcome 28.8 million international visitors for this year.
Sources: www.thephuketnews.com www.bangkok.coconuts.co.th
