TravCorp celebrates Asia itineraries with Thai cuisine in Toronto

The Travel Corporation celebrated the launch of its 2017 Asia itineraries by hosting a media lunch at Mengrai Thai restaurant in downtown Toronto yesterday.

Authentic and savoury Thai food was on offer, while Canadian foodstagrammer Dennis Prescott – toasting the release of his new book Eat Delicious – shared his culinary experiences and advice for taking irresistible Instagram photos.

2016 was a strong year for Canadian tourism to Thailand, with approximately 244,268 Canadians visiting the country – up 7.3 per cent from the previous year. Jeff Element, president, TTC, attributed this strong performance partly to the fact that travellers Canada-wide were now viewing Asia as a more accessible destination than before.

“It’s not considered as exotic or far away as it once was,” he told PAX. “I think it’s familiar for Canadians across the country. Even if you’re in the Maritimes, you feel like you have some sense as to what Thailand or China would actually be like.”

Kayla Shubert, the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s representative for Canada, neatly tied the authentic Thai cuisine on offer to the Authority’s future strategy, with its 2017 and 2018 plans to involve the promotion of unique cultural experiences – prominently through food.

She told the assembled audience that sampling local Thai cuisine would give travellers a genuine experience of the country’s culinary scene, as well as allowing locals to proudly share the food that sets their country apart.

Author Dennis Prescott with his new book, Eat Delicious.

Aside from its food, Shubert said that Thailand has much to recommend for the Canadian traveller – including over 80 national parks, sprawling beaches and more than 250 golf courses, along with an advantageous system that does not require a tourist visa for visits of 30 days or less.

Its popularity, she said, was illustrated by the fact that over 61 per cent of Canadians who travelled to Thailand were repeat visitors.

Nor should Canadians be discouraged by the lack of direct flights between Canada and Thailand, with Shubert pointing out that a connecting flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok lasts a mere two hours.

Element told PAX that TTC’s brands included a variety of experiences in Thailand to suit all kinds of travellers, including the popular Thai Island Hopper offered by Contiki and the ‘Be My Guest’ experiences promoted by Trafalgar, which allow travellers to enjoy a traditional meal with a local Thai family.

Dennis Prescott, meanwhile, explained that his time spent travelling and experiencing other cultures had been influential in the launch of his new book.

“I really feel that as global citizens, we travel to eat, and we also eat global,” he explained to PAX. “I feel that in our homes we want to cook this way. We’re starting to get inspired by these global culinary flavours.”