Talk about Thailand and tourists will be quick to praise its value for entertainment, food and shopping.

These features have characterised the Thai tourism industry for years.

For the past few years, however, tourism authorities in the southern Thai provinces of Songkhla and Pattani have been embarking on a grand plan to transform this popular image on Thai tourism.

The industry players are exploring new products to further boost tourist arrivals to the country, which on average attracts more than 10 million people from all over the world each year.

Eco-tourism, agro-tourism, aqua-tourism, one tumbon (village)-one product policy, Thai history, beach and sunshine are the main tourism products being promoted and marketed now by tourism agencies such as the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to attract visitors from around the world.

"Southern Thailand is not just entertainment, food and shopping. There are many areas which are unexplored. We now want to tap on their potentials to draw tourist dollars," TAT southern region 1 director Suthep Keasang told a visiting 11-member Malaysian media delegation at a dinner in Hatyai recently.

An agro-tourism park in Koh Yor district, located 24km from Hatyai city across the Songkhla Lake has been earmarked to be among the major projects to draw tourists to Songkhla province.

The park is one of the 12 pilot agro-tourism projects started by the Thai government throughout the country about five years ago based on one tumbon-one product concept. It is to generate and distribute agricultural and tourism income to remote areas.

Encompassing a 15sq km area, the park has nine tumbons with 3,200 people involved in cultivating fruits such as jackfruit, coconut, pamelo, ciku, rambutan, durian and Chokhun oranges and fresh water fishery activities.

At present, the number of tourists visiting the park is negligible, comprising mainly researches and students, both domestic and foreign.

Many attractions

TAT public relations and advertising manager Somboon Cheanswaths, however, said the industry would initiate on aggressive marketing strategy soon to boost tourist arrivals at this place.

Besides the park, Songkhla province has a 7km long clean and shining Samila beach which has a mermaid statue, Khao Tang Kuan (Tang Kuan mountain). An ancient golden stupa also stands tall and there is a museum depicting Songkhla's history with many artifacts collected around the province.

Other attractions are the Songkhla zoo, Khu Khat bird sanctuary, twin pagodas landmark Khao Daeng Hill, Tone Nga Chang waterfalls - a picnic paradise, rows of Sino-Portuguese houses, weekend bull fights, golf courses and dozen of ancient Buddhist temples.

Although Keasang's office is keen to aggressively promote and market these tourism products to tourists, it will not be at the expense of its commercial capital Hatyai which is the gateway for southern Thailand, encompassing Songkhla, Satun, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces.

He said his office would embark on a two-pronged strategy.

"We will maintain the tourist taste for entertainment, food and shopping, besides selling these new products as well.

"We will continue to promote and market Hatyai as an ideal city to shop for electrical appliances, garments, bags and souvenir. Plus the night life at discotheques, nightclubs, bars, massage parlours, cinemas and musical halls, not forgetting the delicious food," he said.

Pattani province, on the other hand, has been a major global attraction as archaeologists have unearthed an ancient Langkasuka city and various Hindu and Buddhist shrines and temples in its ancient Yarang town.

The archaeological sites were scattered near the Pattani River encompassing Krado, Tumbon Wat, Tumbon Yarang and Tumbon Pitumudee.

Archaeological research and aerial photography revealed that the Yarang area was formed with varied building structures, ditches, dikes, temple stupas, religious buildings and pools.

Seeking more funds

TAT southern region 3 office director Prapas Inthanapasart said that he would propose to the relevant authorities to seek more funds from both the Thai Government and international organisations such as Unesco to carry on with works to preserve, promote and market Yarang into a global historical site.

Apart from the ancient discovery, Pattani, which has a pre-dominant Muslim population, offers tourists a grand Central Mosque, City Pillar Shrine, Lim Ko Niew Goddess Shrine, Phra Sri Nakarin Garden, Palas morning market, Wat Mutchalinthawapiwiharn at Nong Chik town, Wat Chang Hai Raj Buranaram and a royal pavilion of King Rama VII.

The waterfalls at Sai Khao national park, Pong Pong and Aranya Warin, long stretches of mangrove forest and beaches are the other attractions for tourists.

Compared with Hatyai and Songkhla, Pattani province and Pattani town may not be a match.

However, if Inthanapasart's plan works, then the Yarang ancient town has the potential to become an international historical site to woo tourists and researchers from all over the world.

It could just become the leading tourism model for industry players to promote and market the new products to not only boost tourist arrivals but also transform Thailand's image in the eyes of tourists.

A Veeranggan is malaysiakini 's Penang-based stringer