TAT ready to kick off 'Thailand Happiness Street Festival'

[webfact]

TAT ready to kick off “Thailand Happiness Street Festival”

BANGKOK, 25 July 2014 (NNT) – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is gearing up for the “Thailand Happiness Street Festival” to be organized in the heart of Bangkok this July 25-26, hoping to welcome over 200,000 visitors.

TAT Governor Thawatchai Aranyik stated that the “Thailand Happiness Street Festival”, which will take place this Friday and Saturday, will aim to bring joy back to Thai society while stimulating tourism at the same time.

More than 800 foreign media members and tour agencies have been invited to help publicize the event to the world which will hopefully revive travelers’ confidence about visiting Thailand as a result.

The festival will be broadcast live on www.youtube.com/thailand and is expected to attract no less than 100 million viewers across the globe.

The event will begin with a release of over 10,000 balloons and will feature a wide range of activities, including concerts by well-known artists and sales of products.

Stretching from Siam Paragon to Central World on Rama I Road, the two-day fair is targeted to bring in more than 200,000 participants and generate a cash flow of 200 million baht.


-- NNT 2014-07-25

[LuckyLew]

Great, just like the protest before ... more traffic congestion. It seems to me like a sales event with a concert thrown in for good measure

Sent from my GT-N5100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

Happy about what? Am I missing the bunch line?

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

Oh!... Wait a minute... I know. The Second Coming has taken place and my only Hope is to be one of the 199,200 666 branded folks (minus the 800 media members and tour agencies) that will be won over from The Tribulation.

[taony]

100,000 people from across the globe will watch? 555555

Does anyone even know about it? Who is performing? They can't even say. This thing was put together so quick, how do they expect to have garnered any interest from the real world?

-*I typed this myself*-

[Payboy]

....a wide range of activities, including concerts by well-known artists and sales of products.

Amazing great grand happy sales.

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

Up to 50% Off Sale of the retail price which they already added 49.999%.

[ChrisY1]

The TAT must be crapping themselves lately......they're in the spotlight to produce more tourists.....and they're such a lame bunch protecting their massive budgets and overseas juntas.......!

A Happiness Festival............the idea must have come from North Korea....or early days China.......

[meatboy]

....a wide range of activities, including concerts by well-known artists and sales of products.

Amazing great grand happy sales.

sponsored by CHANG.

[noitom]

A staged Thai "happiness" event televised on youtube. This is something analogous to the Triumph of Will.

[timmyp]

Bread and circuses ～♪

Locally re-worded as "rice and lakhawn"

[Zonka]

More than 800 foreign media members and tour agencies have been invited to help publicize the event to the world which will hopefully revive travelers’ confidence about visiting Thailand as a result.

A 2 day 'flea market' on the street will not, I fear revive travelers confidence in Thailand. And if the you tube broadcast comes complete with the standard musical sounds at the end of every sentence, it will probably deter more people from coming!

[upena]

The only purpose of this street festival is to get shoppers to CentralWorld and Siam Paragon - TAT partners.

[godden]

I'm convinced all those working at TAT are on meds

[spidermike007]

I am of the opinion that bringing joy back to Thai society is not an issue that needs to be address. Personally, I find most Thai people to be quite joyful. They have great attitudes. In comparison to the people in my country, the US, the Thai people brim with joy, humor, and lightheartedness. They seem to enjoy each and every day. I am speaking of the common people. Of course the hi so, are excluded. They have a lot of money, and therefore a lot to be unhappy about. But, most people here have wonderful attitudes. It seems many wake up in the morning with a determination to be happy, glad, joyful, humorous, and cheerful. That is certainly the attitude of my woman, every day. I guess I may be quite fortunate, to be with someone like that. I certainly never experienced that in the states. Women there were dour, difficult, mostly unhappy, and it appeared as if they searched for things to make them unhappy. Here, it feels like the opposite.

So, these dimwits at the tourist department, the ones with no experience in tourism, should be focusing on programs that bring people to this lovely country. I will quote a former post I made, that applies here. It was specifically about Samui, but applies throughout the country, for the most part. And about tourism in general.

I have heard comments from friends who stayed at the Four Seasons, or the W, and paid over $1000 per night. The common complaint was, when I asked the waiter if the McLaren Vale Shiraz, at 4400 per bottle was elegant and soft, as opposed to fruit forward and racy, they looked at me like I was from another planet, and said it was a red wine. It is often necessary to get the F & B manager involved in the conversation to get an answer. Is this a wine sauce? Not sure sir, it is a white sauce. Sometimes the restaurant manager can answer if they are well versed foreigners. Not usually. So, the common complaint is that i am paying first world five star prices. Why am I not getting five star knowledge and expertise?

The inability or unwillingness to train the staff, is a real issue. The staff are often kind, courteous, and very pleasant. But they are not experts. Why not? Well, where do you start?

That combined with the SEVERE indifference on the part of both the regional and national government is a real handicap for Samui. It has been suggested the govt. does not want to support the island because the mafia families profit from it. Well, if that is the case, just get rid of them. Lock them up, deport them, or make them go away. Stop being incompetent babies, and pretending you have a world class Island. Because it may have five star resorts, but is the rest of it five star on any other elevel? Let's get real here. Let's list some issues:

No government run information center, like most tourist areas provide. A center that is not trying to sell something.

No government support, safety standards, competent policing, consumer safety or consumer complaint service.

No real clean up crews, run by the mayors office, to take care of the beaches, the waterways, the canals, etc.

No long term planning.

No visionary policy.

No regulation of taxis, jet ski scammers, car rental companies, etc.

No regulation of noise from nuisance operators like the Ark Bar, who pollute the island many nights with their noise, which can be heard for many kilometers at beachfront resorts.

Very minor league leadership on the island.

I could go on for an hour. You get the point. If you want to get serious, take yourself seriously!

[Krataiboy]

Eight hundred foreign media and tour agencies invited to a happiness party? Jeez! Goodness knows what it is costing to fly, accommodate, wine, dine and woo this army of freeloaders.

Just watch the happy smiles fade when Thai taxpayers - the majority of whom are struggling under a mountain of personal debt - are asked to pick up the bill.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

[Bulldozer Dawn]

Here's a slogan for the Junta:

Be happy...OR ELSE.

[kotsak]

Up to 50% Off Sale of the retail price which they already added 49.999%.

You mean they have added 100% so a 50% discount will bring it down to the original price

[Pond Life]

100,000 people from across the globe will watch? 555555

Does anyone even know about it? Who is performing? They can't even say. This thing was put together so quick, how do they expect to have garnered any interest from the real world?

-*I typed this myself*-

No you missed a few zero's.

"The festival will be broadcast live on www.youtube.com/thailand and is expected to attract no less than 100 million viewers across the globe".

But maybe that in itself is a poor translation from the original Thai.

"Never let the facts get in the way of a good story" Rupert Murdock.

[SoFarAndNear]

The festival will be broadcast live on www.youtube.com/thailand and is expected to attract no less than 100 million viewers across the globe.

Lets do it!!! Surprise us!! I checked out the average videos on the Thailand youtube channel has around 2500 views.

Edited July 25, 2014 by SoFarAndNear

[joshuatdixon]

Wish I had seen this before today....now I have plans already

[I knew this would happen]

"no less than 100 million viewers across the globe"

I´m sorry but this is not the World Cup nor a Justin Bieber concert........but if TAT will count the viewers I´m sure we´ll top the 100mil

There will be Thai stars only so the rest of the world will not care at all. But at least the locals will have their fun with some free stuff.

According to a short article from the Nation: "there will be a parade of character to show Thainess"

[BudRight]

100,000 people from across the globe will watch? 555555

Does anyone even know about it? Who is performing? They can't even say. This thing was put together so quick, how do they expect to have garnered any interest from the real world?

-*I typed this myself*-

It's a 68% increase over last year.

[Bluespunk]

A staged Thai "happiness" event televised on youtube. This is something analogous to the Triumph of Will.

No it's not. It's just another piece of TAT nonsense.

[katana]

[iphad]

walked by today many many people there...music playing people taking photos even got some free tea drinks & jam packed with people down to Central from Siam Paragon.

definitely more happy than the demonstrations before the coup.

[michemiche]

"no less than 100 million viewers across the globe"

I´m sorry but this is not the World Cup nor a Justin Bieber concert........but if TAT will count the viewers I´m sure we´ll top the 100mil

There will be Thai stars only so the rest of the world will not care at all. But at least the locals will have their fun with some free stuff.

According to a short article from the Nation: "there will be a parade of character to show Thainess"

Actually, 19:18, 261 watching now !....

[BSJ]

I am really disappointed! Only finding out about it today and already have plans for the weekend.

[Udoth]

Great initiative, let's hope that it will be good enough to repeat next year and don't forget to be happy!