''Experience Thailand with Mario Maurer'' gets off to successful start in Philippines

The tourism campaign has got off to a grand start in the Philippines with thousands of people turning up to meet famous Thai movie star and singer Mario Maurer in downtown Manila. 

In a fun-filled show, the Thai pop star told his audience of the adventures and opportunities which are awaiting all tourists to Thailand. 

TAT has appointed Mario Maurer as one of its tourism ambassadors, thanks to his huge popularity across Asia after success in the films entitled Love of Siam and First Love. 

As a result, he has had a large number of fans who follow him on social media in China, Indonesia and Vietnam as well as the Philippines where he has over a million followers. 

The “Experience Thailand with Mario Maurer” tour stopped at SM Megamall in Manila on 6 August, 2016, and the 27-year-old star met with thousands of his fans. 

During the event, six short films starring Mario were shown to showcase some of the exciting travel experiences which Thailand can offer. 

The destinations being promoted were Trang, Ampawa (Samut Songkram), Chiang Mai, Lampang, and Pattaya (Chon Buri). 

Kajorndet Apichartrakul, director of TAT Singapore Office said: “We are very pleased that Mario got such a warm reception from his Filipino fans who turned up in thousands to get a glimpse of their super star. Mario appeals to a young and dynamic market who would enjoy exploring the attractions of Thailand." 

"With Mario’s help, we can reach out to people across ASEAN and Asia and let short-haul tourists know that Thailand has so much to discover in terms of food, adventure, amazing scenery and friendly hosts,” he said. 

During the event in Manila, Mario answered questions from members of the media and the public about the attractions to be found in Thailand and he even gave the crowds a fun demonstration of Muay Thai boxing. 

The Philippines are a fast-growing tourism market for Thailand and in the wake of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) more and more Filipino tourists are expected to visit Thailand which welcomed 310,975 visitors from the Philippines in 2015. 

A total of 192,847 Filipinos have visited Thailand during the first seven months of this year.