Thailand Advances Proactive Tourism Strategy, Partnering with 5 Vietnamese Alliances

The Prime Minister of Thailand, Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, presided over a photo ceremony to congratulate five leading private sector partners from Vietnam—VietjetAir, BenThanh Tourist, Hanoi Tourist Corporation, Vietravel, and Vietrantour—at the Investment Forum and Business Forum 2026 at the Fairmont Hanoi hotel. This event marks a concrete drive to elevate economic and tourism cooperation within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region, witnessed by Mrs. Suphajee Suthumpun, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce; Mr. Surasak Phancharoenworakul, Minister of Tourism and Sports; Mr. Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Industry; and Mr. Paradorn Prissananantakul, Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office.

Mrs. Suphajee Suthumphun, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, highlighted tourism as a vital engine driving trade, stimulating direct spending on Thai products, community goods (OTOP), and services, while building Soft Power. Concurrently, Mr. Surasak Phancharoenworakul, Minister of Tourism and Sports, emphasized international partner networks as a strategic mechanism to strengthen aviation stability, expand market access, and upgrade the tourism structure toward high-spending, quality segments like the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions (MICE) market and the film industry.

Amidst uneven regional growth in the first half of 2026, Ms. Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, announced the successful negotiation and signing of Memorandums of Understanding with top Vietnamese executives: Dr. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Chairwoman of VietjetAir; Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hoai Nguyen, General Director of BenThanh Tourist; Ms. Pham Thi Thu Huyen, General Director of Hanoi Tourist Corporation; Mr. Tran Doan The Duy, Chief Executive Officer of Vietravel; and Ms. Dinh Nguyet Anh, General Director of Vietrantour.

Following the official visit to Thailand by General Tô Lâm, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and the official visit to Vietnam by Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister of Thailand, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, through the Tourism Authority of Thailand, will leverage this enhanced connectivity to drive Vietnamese tourist arrivals to Thailand past the one million mark, restoring traffic to pre-COVID-19 levels.

Source: FM 88 Radio Thailand English
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