Having been with the TAT in 1999 after earning a master’s degree in science from the University of Surrey in the UK, Ms Thapanee Kiatphaiboon has held various positions within the organisation, including Deputy Governor for Tourism Products and Business and, most recently, Deputy Governor for Domestic Marketing.
New Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)
In her recent role as TAT Deputy Governor for Domestic Marketing, Ms. Thapanee Kiatphaiboon initiated various tourism initiatives to help drive Thailand’s economy.
Among them included the workation in Thailand, faith and religious tourism routes, and solo travels – which helped stimulate 151.45 million domestic trips in 2022 – about 88% of the record year in 2019 – and generated 641.5 billion Baht.
As Deputy Governor for Tourism Products and Business, Ms Thapanee was recognised for her leadership in initiating the Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration (SHA) certification programme that enabled hotels and services to meet specific health and safety standards.
The programme became a mandatory requirement for hotels seeking to register as quarantine facilities during strict COVID-19 control measures and also received global recognition in alignment with the WTTC SafeTravels protocols.
She also initiated the Special Tourist Visa (STV) scheme to promote the reopening of Thailand, which led to subsequent entry schemes, including Villa Quarantine, Yacht Quarantine and Golf Quarantine, as well as the Phuket Sandbox, which has been recognised internationally as the model for the country’s reopening.
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| Ms Thapanee Kiatphaiboon, the new TAT governor. Photo: ThePhuketNews.com |
Recognised as a social media and technology-savvy individual, Ms Thapanee has played a vital role in utilising technology and social media in the promotion and development of Thailand’s tourism.
Her outstanding achievements in this area include the Google Street View project in cooperation with Google Thailand and the ‘Amazing Thailand’ social media platforms.
As an advocate of Thailand’s tourism, Ms Thapanee has been instrumental in the development of various unique interest tourism products, including health and wellness tourism, yacht and cruise tourism, and community tourism, as well as the “King’s Wisdom for Sustainable Tourism” project, which won the PATA Grand Awards 2018 in the category of Education and Training.
Conclusion
In her earlier years with the TAT, Ms Thapanee Kiatphaiboon was widely recognised for her contribution towards promoting and developing intra-regional travel within the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).