The Scandinavian Tourist Board held a workshop last week designed to promote Scandinavia as a tourist destination for Asians, reports ScandAsia.com. The workshop is the first in a series showcasing a variety of destinations in Scandinavia.
According to the Scandinavian Tourist Board, the goal of the workshops is to make places like the Norwegian fjords and ‘Wonderful Copenhagen’ appealing destinations for Asians on holiday.
Recent studies have shown that one million Scandinavians travel to Thailand each year, but the number of Thais visiting Scandinavia is just one tenth of that figure.
According to Sahanop Detya, the general manager of Real Travel Solution (RTS), the people of Thailand and Scandinavia have more in common than they might think at first.
“For instance, our monarchies. The Thai people are very connected to the royal family, and last year we celebrated the centennial anniversary of the Thai king’s visit to Scandinavia. So naturally, the Thai people want to follow in his footsteps and visit Scandinavia”, he said.
Soren Leerskov, managing director for the Scandinavian Tourist Board in Asia and the Pacific, was instrumental in making the workshops take place. “The potential for Asian travel to Scandinavia is so much bigger than the level it is maintaining right now. Both in the tourism sector and also in the business sector”, he said.
The workshop in Thailand was attended by tourism agencies from both Scandinavia and Thailand as well as members of the public. The next workshops will be held in Taipei in Taiwan and Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou in China.