The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is providing intensive training to 144 community leaders in a bid to enhance tourism competitiveness.
TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said community leaders from all provinces attended a special training programme in Bangkok on Tuesday.
The scheme is part of a new tourism campaign called "Amazing Thailand Go Local", whose goal is to boost domestic tourism, especially in secondary provinces, and improve competitiveness for local communities.
The government earlier endorsed a tax deduction allowing tourists to deduct up to 15,000 baht from personal income tax for spending on tourism products and services in 55 secondary provinces this year.
"The measure is expected to boost visitors in many communities located in secondary provinces," Mr Yuthasak said. "In a bid to increase competitiveness and improve service, the TAT has to organise training for this year."
Santi Pawai, deputy director of the Tourism Department, said more than 90 people took part in a tourism HR development project launched by the department last week at the Ban Mae Klang Luang community in Chiang Mai province.
The project included demonstrations of local production such as hand-making coffee from organic coffee beans.
On Tuesday, Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat met hundreds of tourism operators, mostly hotels and travel companies, at an annual meeting of the Thai Hotels Association and the Association of Thai Travel Agents.
Mr Weerasak told the meeting that a major overhaul of the ministry's workflow is under way, signalling a revolution for the entire tourism industry.
Some of the restructuring involves collaboration between the Tourism and Sports Ministry and other ministries and government agencies, with an aim to beef up the competitiveness of Thai tourism.
For example, the TAT has been asked to help develop new tourism products, adding to its core responsibility as promoter and marketer of the country's tourism industry.
Local tourism offices in provinces will work on safety and cleanliness, while the National Tourism Policy Committee is devising a long-term and sustainable tourism master plan for the country.
The Tourism and Sports Ministry recently worked with the Transport Ministry on air traffic and operations during a runway closure at Phuket airport.
Transport officials have also worked with the Culture Ministry to publish collections of unique attractions such as temples, herbs, cuisine, museums and old trees.
