The Thai Tourism Ministry is planning to develop five places into quality destinations as a part of a plan aimed at encouraging tourist groups to increase their spending while in the country.

The places are Bangkok , Phuket, Pattaya, Koh Pha-ngan and Nan. Under the plan, which each site will get rebranding based on their strength and uniqueness as well as their main target markets, Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul was quoted by The Nation as saying.

Bangkok will be presented as a destination for world heritage river cruises and other activities such as shopping, dining, weekend getaways, and history and culture appreciation. Meanwhile, Pattaya will be refocused as a world-class sports and family destination.

Koh Pha-ngan will be turned into a Thai-style party centre where foreigners come and experience more Thainess. In Phuket, premium cruising and MICE (meeting, incentive, convention, and exhibition) businesses are targeted besides sun-tanning and diving.

Nan, a province in northern Thailand, is set to become an eco-tourism place. Tourists aged over 50 are the main target of the province as it boasts a quiet town with natural beauty and a slow pace of life. The province has many historic sites where visitors will feel like taking a trip during the 14th century.

Thailand targets 25.5 million foreign arrivals, with a revenue of 1.8 trillion THB next year. The respective figures expected for 2016 will be 29 million and 2.2 trillion THB.-VNA