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Kota Kinabalu: Thailand has announced its readiness to become a self-drive tourism hub in the Asean region, aiming to attract 39 million tourists throughout 2025. 

The aim is to target tourists from neighbouring countries, generating no less than 2.23 trillion baht in revenue with the “5 Must Do in Thailand” products, in line with government policy, said a statement.

Thapanee Kiatphaibool, the Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (Tat), on Sunday revealed that the government, through the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and Tat, is driving the government's policy of building international relations. 

“This initiative aims to position Thailand as a Tourism hub in the Asean region. Tourists from Malaysia and Laos rank among the top five visitors to Thailand, while Singaporean tourists have voted Thailand as their number-one favorite destination,” she said in the statement. 

“Tat is collaborating with partner agencies to organise activities that promote self-drive tourism through border checkpoints in Songkhla, Sa Kaeo, Bueng Kan, Nong Khai, Mukdahan, Nakhon Phanom, and Chiang Rai. 

“Tat has designed travel routes to offer experiences with the '5 Must Do in Thailand' tourism products. It is believed that promoting self-drive travel will enable Thailand to welcome no less than 39 million international tourists throughout 2025, generating no less than 2.23 trillion baht in revenue for the Thai tourism industry."

Tat has organised a welcoming event for 37 Porsche drivers from Singapore and 20 from Malaysia, who entered Thailand through the Sadao Immigration Checkpoint in Songkhla Province. 

Additionally, 17 cars from Cambodia entered through the Aranyaprathet Immigration Checkpoint in Sa Kaeo Province. These drivers are touring Bangkok, the Central, and Eastern regions before attending Das Treffen 9 in Muang Thong Thani, Nonthaburi. 

Some groups plan to continue their travels in Thailand after the event to experience the cool weather in the Northern region of Thailand, said the statement further.

Meanwhile, Jakkaphan Jarusuvarnabhumi, the General Manager of 2000 Publishing and organiser of Bimmer Meet and DAS Treffen events, stated that organising car enthusiast gatherings by inviting fans and drivers of various car brands to travel together and share experiences to build good relationships among members will be one form of travel promotion in 2025. 

“The Das Treffen 9 event, which brought together Porsche enthusiasts from across Southeast Asia, featured rare Porsche sports cars, both classic and new models,” said the publisher of BMW Car Magazine Thailand, GT Porsche Thailand and Enzo Thailand magazines.

“Tourists in the Asean region were interested in coming to admire the automotive innovations that perfectly reflect the vibrant heritage and spirit of Southeast Asia. Such activities promotde car drivers, a high-potential tourist group with purchasing power, to travel to Thailand before and after the event. 

“The company believes that the spending behaviour and length of stay of this tourist group are higher than those of general tourists. They also prefer to travel to new tourist destinations, aligning with the government's policy to promote 'must-visit cities.'"

Sihabut Chumsai Na Ayudhya, the Executive Editor of GT Porsche Magazine Thailand Edition, said that the Das Treffen 9 event, under the theme 'Limited Edition,' was held on Sunday at Impact Speed Park, Muang Thong Thani, Nonthaburi. 

The riverside area was transformed into a Porsche Village, welcoming over 500 Porsche cars and more than 3,000 people from across the Asia-Pacific region, showcasing notable Porsche models such as the Porsche 911 (997) Turbo S “Edition 918 Spyder”, Porsche 911 (964) “30 Jahre” (30th Anniversary), Porsche 911 R (991), Porsche 911 (992) Dakar, Porsche 911 (997) GT3 RS 4.0, Porsche 911 (991) GT2 RS Clubsport 25, and Porsche 911 (991) GT3 R. 

“Additionally, the event celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 911 Turbo with special merchandise featuring a logo designed as the number '9' in Turbonite, a new special colour from Porsche,” said Na Ayudhya. 

“Another highlight was the display of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S Celestial Jade, a special creation from the Sonderwunsch department using Chromaflair special paint technology, reflecting the vibrant heritage and spirit of Southeast Asia. 

“The Porsche 911 S/T was a special model designed for true driving enthusiasts, featuring a lightweight and agile design. The 918 Spyder Martini stood out with its Martini Racing kit, capable of accelerating from 0-100 km/h in just 2.6 seconds."