'Palukteawda’, a Facebook page, and TAT Join Hands to Conduct the 1st 'Family Trip Expo’

Wednesday 12 October 2016 09:51
'Palukteawda', a Facebook page, and TAT Join Hands to Conduct the 1st 'Family Trip Expo' Thailand's First Family-Oriented Travel Expo to Strengthen Family Relationships and Healthy Mind in the Children and Youth.

'Palukteawda', a community of parents who love to take their children out for trips is in collaboration with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in holding the '1st Family Trip Expo – Gaining experience through travelling' with the aim to share travelling destinations for children and family. The Family Trip Expo is Thailand's first and only family-oriented expo that will gather quality destinations offering creative activities and experiences for parents to enhance children's experiences and development. The event will be held during 17-19 February 2017 at the 5th floor of Paragon Hall, Siam Paragon and for purposes of tightening family relationships, encouraging experiences gained outside the classroom for the children and promoting family-oriented tourism.

Mr. Papon Wongprasertsuk, co-founder of Palukteawda, spoke of the background of 'Palukteawda' community revealed that "the community was formed by a group of parents whose child studies in the same kindergarten class. Initially, it was a line group created for discussion and exchanging ideas about the kids and recommendations on family-tourism destinations. Whoever knows the good places where there are good activities suitable for children, they would share those places and activities to other people in the group and also invited group member to go on a trip together. That was how the group 'Palukteawda' was formed."

"The trips arranged by the group come in all styles and the activities during the trips will be whatever activities that their children will play and, at the same time, they will learn and gain new experiences. This includes free and easy kind of travel that focuses on simplicity of accommodation and dining places which will encourage the children to look after themselves in the level appropriate to their age and to learn how to solve the problems that they will not usually face in everyday life. Most importantly, it is the opportunity for family members to spend time together which will bring in new points of view that cannot be seen if at home. For example, fearful children who brace themselves to dive into the water from high springboard, hygiene-concerned children who start to joyfully play in the mud, children who used to be unable to stay focused can now concentrate on (squid) fishing or even ones who once refused to eat vegetables now snatch the vegetables from their travel mates.

"We think that it would be good if other families could spend quality time with similar activities with their children before they would grow up and travel with their friends. Therefore, we would like to share our experiences and establish a community where parents could share their way of taking the kids out to travel in the wide world. We then created a Facebook page named 'Palukteawda' in order to share experiences in taking the kids to travel among the parents in the group. This is until we were able to build up quite a broad network and we wished to expand this to other non-group member parents so that it would be an opportunity to meet up and know more about family-oriented activities and tourism destinations. "The Family Trip Expo 2017 - Gaining experience through travelling is hence held which the main concept is that the parents are to "take the kids out to travel" in order to learn and gain new experiences with the aim to strengthen family relationships and boost up healthy mind for the children.

The target of this event is the parents whose their children are at the age between 3 – 15 years which this age range is suitable for family trip."

The Family Trip Expo 2017 - Gaining experience through travelling" is held with purposes of sharing activity-oriented travel destinations, gaining in more outside-classroom experiences and opportunities to know more about the world, strengthening family relationships for developing maturity stage for children and youth, as well as, promoting domestic tourism. There will be 2 zones in the event which the first zone is Theme Zone. The Theme Zone will display and demonstrates interesting destinations that are appropriate for family trip, and provide creative activities that encourage the kids to learn and gain new experiences which the kids can have a trial play with these activities. The second zone is Exhibitor Zone which will gather travel entrepreneurs which these travel entrepreneurs are selected from their travel style that is suitable for family-oriented tourism. Lastly, the third zone is Playground which will be located right in the centre/middle of the expo. This is for the kids to enjoyably play at the Playground so that their parents can fully spend time choosing the right travel package(s).

Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, the Governor of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), revealed that "In 2017, TAT has determined a goal for promoting domestic tourism with a focus on motivating Thai people to travel more in order to increase the revenue by 10 percent which approximately equals to THB950,000 million while maintaining promoting on the good point/strength of "Discover Thainess" which is favourable among tourists who want to experience local original Thainess. Not just local cultures that reflect Thai way of life, but Thai family relationships also reflect Thai way of life. The "1st Family Trip Expo" is held in conformity with Thai way of life, such as, Building up relationships in order to encourage the development of family relationships as to boost up maturity stage for the youth, Sharing the activity-oriented travel destinations to parents by establishing a community, Experiencing new things outside the classroom and the wide world from this opportunity, and importantly, Promoting domestic tourism. It is well known that Thai society is family based that the parents raise their children themselves and also indoctrinate their children in thoughts and values. However, at present, the relationships of Thai family have decreased due to economic situation and several social factors. Therefore, if the family members can spend time together through travel, it will surely strengthen the family relationships, as well as, Thainess.

"The Family Trip Expo 2017 - Gaining experience through travelling", moreover, offers more highlight activities in the Theme zone which these activities are supported from travel entrepreneurs, for example, 'mini salt pan' that imitates the salt-farm in Samutsongkram province. The attendants will also meet the local savant, an expertise in doing salt field for more than 40 years who will be giving knowledge about salt including providing workshop for the children to make powder salt, salted egg and local ice cream. There is also a Workshop on planting organic vegetables from Thai Organic Farm (Rai Plook Rak) that will teach the attendants of how to plant the organic vegetables in pots made from cassava which they can bring those planted vegetables home, as well as, provide the representative from schools attending the event with planting program design and knowledge about preparation of vegetable plot so that they can teach their students about these. Farm De Lek will also invite the kinds to join the activity on farm management that is not just about planting vegetables or raising animals, but also planning of turning used materials into arts. With the aim to indoctrinate the kids in being responsible for society and environment, the kids will learn through creative craft and arts activities. The children will also learn from the activity that will encourage them to learn about and to be mindful about the nature, and to experience living with the nature in Marine Life theme which there will be a telling of sea tales and using microscopes to see marine lives. This activity is held by Environmental Education Centre (EEC), the organisation that arranges camping for children represented by the skilled actor "Alex Rendell". Siam Insect Zoo in Chiangmai province will also bring out several species of insect so that the kids can touch them and join the activities to search for leaf insect which is considered top camouflage, to leach about life cycle of butterfly. Besides, there are many more activities to be held on the stage and seminars to exchange information and knowledge about family-oriented tourism and how to grow in learning experience for children through travel.

"The Family Trip Expo 2017 - Gaining experience through travelling" is Thailand's first and only travel expo gathering information about destinations for family-oriented tourism, arranges activities for the kids to take a shot doing various kinds of activities from various styles of travel, and meet the travel entrepreneurs selected as their travel styles are suitable for kids and family which will be held during 17-19 February 2017 at Royal Paragon Hall, the 5th Floor, Siam Paragon. For more information, please visit www.palukteawda.com.