New governor for Tourism Authority of Thailand

Ms. Thapanee Kiatphaiboon (pictured) has been appointed the new governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). She took up the role on 1 September 2023. Having started at TAT in 1999 after earning a master’s degree in science from the University of Surrey in the UK, Ms. Thapanee has held various positions within the organisation, including deputy governor for tourism products and business, and most recently deputy governor for domestic marketing. She has led on various tourism initiatives to help drive Thailand’s economy, including the workation in Thailand, faith and religious tourism routes, and solo travels – which helped stimulate 151.45 million domestic trips in 2022 – about 88% of the record year in 2019. The programme also generated 641.5 billion Baht. Ms. Thapanee has also been recognised for her leadership in initiating the Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration (SHA) certification programme that enabled hotels and services to meet specific health and safety standards. The programme became a mandatory requirement for hotels seeking to register as quarantine facilities during the period of strict Covid-19 control measures and also received global recognition in alignment with the WTTC SafeTravels protocols.