By: CHATRUDEE THEPARAT

The Amazing Thailand Grand Sale will be dusted off to help rejuvenate tourism and boost the number of visitors following last year's siege of Bangkok's airports. Local tourism-related operators and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) agreed to launch the marketing campaign for three months from June to August to stimulate tourism, Akapol Pruksawan, TAT's deputy governor for tourism products said yesterday .

Under the new marketing plan, the TAT would allocate up to 50 million baht to support the campaign, with tourism-related operators offering special discounts of 30-50% both to local and international visitors.

The focus group of the programme is foreign tourists from Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

''The agency expects the programme would make a greater impact on the Thai tourism industry and the high season late this year,'' Mr Akapol said.

The programme would be promoted between February and March in order to give overseas travel agents enough time to participate in the programme, he said.

The promotion would also be introduced at significant tourism trade events such as the World Travel Fair (WTF) in Shanghai between March 9-11, the International Tourismus Borse (ITB) between March 11-15 and the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2009 between May 5-8.

According to Mr Akapol, among the participating private and public organisations are Airports of Thailand Plc, which would cut its landing fees, and Thai Airways International (THAI), which will offer tickets at special prices.

Other businesses participating in the scheme will include department stores, duty-free shops, hotels, resorts, hospitals, spa shops, golf courses, restaurants, and amusement parks.

The Amazing Thailand Grand Sale was held for the first time in 1998 and 1999 to stimulate the economy after Thailand had been hit by the economic crisis in 1997.

Prakit Shinamornpong, the president of the Thai Hotels Association expected the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale programme and other tourism stimulus measures would help the industry recover in the second or third quarter of this year. The plan to revive the tourism sector, to be tabled for cabinet approval on Jan 20

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