Mr. Suraphon Svetasreni Appointed New TAT Governor

BANGKOK, February 12 - A veteran of the travel and tourism industry, Mr. Suraphon Svetasreni,
TAT Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, has been appointed the new
Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Mr. Svetasreni, the eighth governor since the founding of the national
tourism organization in 1960, will officially assume his duties for a
four-year term from 1 January onwards.

Mr. Svetasreni joined TAT in September 1977. In his 32 years with the
organization, he has contributed to the success of the kingdom's notable
global destination marketing campaigns, led the charge on strategic and
tactical marketing and public relations campaigns, and has been involved in
tourism product development. He has also personally championed crisis
management efforts for the Thai tourism industry. In undertaking all of these
roles, Mr. Svetasreni has always endeavoured to meet the needs and
expectations of the Thai tourism industry with dedication, professionalism
and finesse.

Over 20 years of experience in marketing communications, advertising and
public relations, both in Thailand and overseas, have proved a tremendous
asset in Mr. Svetasreni's role in spearheading Thailand's crisis
communications and confidence-building tourism recovery efforts.

His involvement in crisis communications began in 1991 when TAT launched
The World - Our Guest, Thailand's first ever tourism recovery programme
following the coup d'etat in February that year. Recognizing the impact that
various types of crisis can have on Thai tourism, and the need to manage
these risks, Mr. Svetasreni established the TAT Crisis Communication Centre
in 2001 to facilitate communication, coordination and networking between
internal departments within TAT as well as with private sector trade partners
in the various tourism sub-sectors.

Under Mr. Svetasreni's leadership, the TAT team has undertaken crisis
communications and tourism recovery efforts on behalf of the Thai tourism
industry during the following crises: 9/11 in 2001; SARS in 2003; Avian
Influenza in 2004; the Indian Ocean-Andaman tsunami in 2004; and the military
coup in 2006.

In addition to his role as TAT Deputy Governor for Policy and Planning,
Mr. Svetasreni was appointed Head of TAT's Tourism Intelligence Unit and
Crisis Communication Centre (TIC) in March 2007. This played a vital crisis
communications role during the airport closures in late 2008, the political
unrest in April 2009 and the Influenza A (H1N1) global epidemic.

In formulating a new strategic direction and strategies for promoting
Thai tourism in an environment where constant change and uncertainty are the
norm, Mr. Svetasreni has identified four key trends that are changing the
marketing landscape as well as the economics of travel and tourism,
worldwide. These are:

- The digital phenomenon characterized by the exponential growth in new
media which have revolutionized the way in which individual consumers are
being engaged, how they interact with each other through social networking,
plan travel, make purchases and generally shape myriad lifestyle activities
online 24/7.

- The quest for sustainable tourism has brought increasingly urgent and
persistent calls for tourism operators to assume far greater responsibility
in ensuring the highest possible degree of environmental protection

- The drive for marketing innovation through value creation especially in
tandem with the nurturing of a "creative economy." In the face of
intensifying competition, this is seen to be the new and vital competitive
edge in Thailand's international marketing efforts.

- The economic emergence of Brazil, Russia, India and China — the BRIC
countries - which together represent the developing world's fastest-growing
economies.

- The trend towards a decentralization of tourism resource management and
utilization broadens the base of tourism stakeholders.

These phenomena have brought about fundamental shifts in social values,
as well as consumer preferences affecting key purchase decisions.

In his new role as TAT Governor, Mr. Svetasreni takes on the
responsibility of leading TAT and the Thai tourism industry through an era of
dynamic change. In his vision statement, Mr. Svetasreni mapped out the
following mission which takes into account the designated organizational
roles and responsibilities for the national tourism organization as outlined
in the 2008-2011 Corporate Plan.

- To take TAT's marketing excellence to a new level by strengthening
organizational capabilities and boosting readiness to respond to the diverse
challenges presented by an ever-changing operating environment

- For TAT to assume a leadership role in tourism - one of the two key
drivers of Thailand's economic growth, and coordinate efforts between state
agencies, commercial organizations and community organizations for mutual
public-private sector benefit

To achieve the above, the new TAT agenda will focus on the following
priorities - placing greater emphasis on digital marketing; strengthening the
Thailand brand image; promoting sustainable tourism; and ensuring
effectiveness in crisis management response.

Implementation

To achieve the vision, mission and objectives as outlined, the new TAT
Governor mapped out two strategic fronts that are to be given equal priority
- tourism marketing and organizational management.

On the tourism marketing front, the new TAT Governor reiterates that both
TAT and the Thai tourism industry overall need to embrace the increased use
of new media to be able to reach online audiences and connect with them more
effectively. Increased use of information technology (IT) to achieve
marketing objectives and goals, and more extensive use of new media and
digital marketing in conjunction with emotional marketing will be the new
platforms driving marketing innovation in the Thai tourism industry.

New age marketing also calls for more accurate market segmentation and
precision marketing - the ability to reach relevant target market segments
and individual customers and engage them by communicating clear messages.
Through this process of crystallization, the Thailand brand, its products and
destinations should be made much clearer to both enterprises (tourism
operators and service providers) on the one hand and individual tourists on
the other. This process of engagement must also be transparent with all
relevant tourism stakeholders able to access and view each other's complete
information.

The new TAT Governor noted that while there is excellent awareness of the
existing Amazing Thailand brand within the target market segments, in order
to maintain and increase market share in today's highly competitive market
environment, TAT may need to resort to "emotional" marketing strategies to
offset factors and variables that cannot be influenced or controlled. Mr.
Svetasreni believes that by engaging individual consumers on an emotional
level, the customer's relationship with Thailand is strengthened thereby
reinforcing it in their mind as a top destination choice.

With plans to ramp up the national tourism organization's online presence
to more effectively promote Destination Thailand in the digital arena, online
marketing will now represent 30 per cent of TAT's total marketing mix. TAT
will continue to invest in the development of TAT's main tourism portal web
site - www.TourismThailand.org to leverage the full marketing
potential that Web 2.0 and Social Networking offers and take
TourismThailand.org to the next generation - Web 3.0, the IT platform that
promises to deliver even more powerful benefits to the online consumer.

Organizational Management

Mr. Svetasreni firmly believes that effective organizational management
is key to TAT fulfilling its leadership role in the Thai tourism industry.

Mr. Svetasreni pledged to boost internal organizational efficiency by
making TAT a true learning organization in which TAT staff are presented with
opportunities to undergo core competency training to further sharpen their
marketing skills and individual capabilities.

The development of an integrated marketing database within TAT is also
seen to be another vital asset and value-added service that TAT will be able
to provide to stakeholders in the Thai tourism industry. Beyond facilitating
internal decision-making processes within TAT and supporting risk management
and crisis management needs, the information base will enable TAT to provide
timely and reliable marketing intelligence to facilitate decision-making and
planning.

Mr. Svetasreni recognizes that in assuming the leadership role in the
tourism industry, stakeholders will inevitably have elevated expectations of
TAT. Efficient internal coordination and improved staff productivity will be
essential to making the critical difference to TAT's and Thailand's success.

In working towards the set goals, his immediate personal priorities at
TAT will be to promote a better understanding among TAT staff about the
organization's role and responsibilities for the next decade, and to ensure
that staff at all levels have a clear understanding of the vision, goals and
processes involved. This in turn will contribute positively to the
performance tracking and evaluation procedures being implemented.

    Contact information:
    International Public Relations Division
    Tourism Authority of Thailand
    Tel: +66(0)2250-5500 ext. 4545-48
    Fax: +66(0)2253-7419
    E-mail: prdiv3@tat.or.th

Web site: www.tatnews.org

International Public Relations Division, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Tel: +66(0)2250-5500 ext. 4545-48, Fax: +66(0)2253-7419, E-mail: prdiv3 at tat.or.th