Destination: Thailand’s ‘Land of Smiles’
by John Hawks

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"MTV" generation travelers: These clients (in their 20s and early 30s) can follow the footsteps of their counterparts from Europe and Australia who haunt the beaches of Phuket, Ko Samui, and other popular beach areas on a budget.

Jaded Baby Boomers and Gen X’ers: Thailand makes the perfect upsell for your clients who’ve already explored the best of the Caribbean and Mexico.

Honeymooners: Think about your clients’ returning home after a post-wedding trip to Thailand, as they compare stories and photos with other couples who merely schlepped along to the more common honeymoon spots!

Adventure travelers: These travelers will find many unusual hiking, climbing, and water sports outings in this country.

Exotic cruisers: If you have clients who “collect” ports of call, then check out the growing number of cruise options with stops in Thailand.

Luxury travelers: Thailand now boasts familiar upscale hotel brands (from Four Seasons to Ritz Carlton), as well as some of the world’s most elegant spas with over-the-top, around-the-clock pampering.

Serious shoppers will relish the chance to explore the open-air markets in Bangkok or the Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai for souvenirs. Meanwhile, your clients who are interested in archaeology can focus on side trips to sites such as Ayutthaya (the country’s capital until the late 1700s). Thailand offers many outdoors options for active travelers -- everything from scuba diving and snorkeling among coral reefs and hiking to remote tribal villages to rafting rivers, climbing mountains, and visiting wildlife parks like Khao Yai National Park (the country’s oldest park, where you can hike trails to see elephants and tigers or take in the view from a nearby watchtower). The best photo spot in Thailand is the vista from Phang-Nga Bay with its massive cliffs.

Best Travel Times: Your clients will find hot and relatively dry weather between March and May, with the rainy season settling in from June through October (with 90 percent humidity and above). The “cool season” from November to February sees temperatures dropping into the high 70s (!). Check with your travel suppliers directly about “high” and “low” season rates, as they definitely vary from one region to the next. (For example, the high season for Ko Samui runs February to October, while it’s November to April in Phuket.)

Entry Requirements: U.S. and Canadian citizens must carry valid passports with proof of their onward passage (e.g., a return or through airline ticket or a cruise ticket). However, they don’t need visas as long as they’re staying in Thailand less than 30 days.

Airlines: A dozen carriers provide flights to Thailand from U.S. gateways: All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, Asiana Airlines, China Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Eva, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Singapore Airlines, THAI Airways, and United Airlines. THAI’s new nonstop service from Los Angeles and New York/Kennedy to Bangkok after the recent tsunami kept the country’s inbound tourism industry going strong. Thailand welcomed more than 625,000 visitors from the United States last year. In fact, Bangkok just opened the brand-new Suvarnabhumi Airport last September. This facility will absorb most of the international flights that had gone into Don Muang (Bangkok’s longtime international airport).

Travel Packages: The U.S. Tour Operators Association says five OSSN supplier members offer standing or periodic travel packages to Thailand: Collette Vacations, EEE Travel, Globus, Pleasant Holidays, and Travel Bound.

Cruises: Also, two cruise lines that belong to OSSN also offer sailings with stops in Thailand: Crystal Cruises and Silversea.

For more information, contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Also, you should consider taking this excellent online course produced by ModernAgent.com/Travel Agent Academy.

(Note: At press time, tourism officials in Thailand worried about the potential impact of a series of terrorist explosions in Bangkok on New Year’s Day. Nine bombs went off in the Thai capital on Jan. 1, 2007, killing three people and injuring 38 others [including nine foreigners]. Though U.S., British, and Canadian authorities issued words of caution to their citizens traveling in Thailand, many international visitors interviewed after the bombings pointed out that it’s impossible to escape danger even within their home countries.