Thailand: TAT to host street food festival

• Apr 21, 2017

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will host Bangkok Street Food Festival in June to give local roadside cuisine greater exposure to international tourists.
TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the authority is ready to host the street food festival in partnership with Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) on a popular road in the capital.
The potential venue will be on Khao San, Yaowarat or Pratunam Road.
“We will use this opportunity to present Thailand’s street food gastronomy to lure more international travellers to come to the country,” he said.
CNN recently ranked Thailand the top sport for street food in the world.
Thai cuisine has long been loved by gourmands of every nationality, and the TAT hopes to promote street food to complement its international renown.
Mr Yuthasak denied rumours that the government would order BMA to ban street food vendors across Bangkok.
Instead, TAT aims to promote Bangkok’s street foods both among foreigners and locals. “Bangkok’s street food is known for being diverse, delicious, and coming at affordable prices. There shouldn’t be any ban on street food, though the government does need to make it more systematic and hygienic,” he said.
Meanwhile, the TAT governor said Thailand will also host the 4th UNWTO forum on gastronomy in April or May next year to further promote tourism and fine dining in the country.
That forum will likewise seek to generate more revenue from international travellers coming to Thailand to try the local cuisine.
That event will not only be a Mice event, but also help promote Thailand among various nationalities, said Mr Yuthasak.
The forum is expected to be held in Bangkok or Phuket. Thailand is also ready to host the upcoming World Travel Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit from April 25-27.
He said Thailand could use this opportunity to show more than 750 international participants, from country leaders to well-known business people around the world, the country’s readiness in hosting an international tourism forum. Those 750 WTCC member participants will together represent more than 30% of the world’s travel trade market.
Some famous participants include Britain’s former prime minister David Cameron, AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes, Emirates Group president Gary Chapman, Mandarin
Oriental Hotel Group’s chief executive James Riley, Google Travel managing director Rob Torres, Agoda co-founder Robert Rosenstein and Siam Piwat Ltd’s president Chadathip Chutrakul.

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/tourism-and-transport/1235622/tat-to-host-street-food-festival