The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Central Pattana have joined forces to launch the “Go Local, Love Local” campaign. This initiative initially focuses on four provinces: Nakhon Si Thammarat, Ayutthaya, Ubon Ratchathani, and Chanthaburi.

The primary objective of the campaign is to boost tourist visits to secondary cities here in Thailand. Currently, secondary cities account for only 10% of tourist visits, while major cities (ie. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Phuket, Pattaya, etc.) make up the remaining 90%. The aim is to shift this ratio to 20% for secondary cities and 80% for major cities by the end of 2023. To achieve this, the TAT, Central Pattana, local tourism operators, and travel startups will collaborate to develop new routes and experiences.

Our Take

Actually, one of the big things I want to do this year and next as far as travel goes is exactly this… exploring some of the more local parts of the country which I guess TAT refers too as ‘secondary markets’. I moved over here a few years ago now and had the privilege of experiencing places like Bangkok, Phuket, and Samui when they were super local (because of that strange moment in time with COVID). However, with many of those primary markets back hustling and bustling, my weekend getaway ‘hit list’ has morphed to include places like Petchabun, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trat, Nan, etc. I won’t be visiting them all any time soon (there’s a LOT to explore), but the point still stands… I’m definitely looking beyond the major markets in hopes of “Going Local and Loving Local” (as TAT would say haha).