Tour East Thailand and Expedia to operate ‘Expedia Local Expert’

Tour East Thailand, the leading destination management company in Thailand, has signed an exclusive agreement with Expedia, to operate the Expedia Local Expert program throughout the country starting with Phuket and Bangkok. The agreement has been effective from October 1, 2017.

Making the announcement, Nick Critelli, business development manager, stated, “We are proud to partner with Expedia to launch Expedia Local Expert in Phuket and Bangkok which are going to be the first destinations in the world outside North America to offer this hugely successful program.

Expedia is an internationally trusted brand and Expedia Local Expert allows us to build the perfect activity itinerary for travellers with an insider’s perspective and local know-how following a face-to-face conversation with a local on arrival at a destination.

This includes organizing of a wide range of activities such as ground services, tours and excursions, restaurant bookings, attraction tickets and promotion of retail outlets. We are already selling dining packages with several hotels and now we have a greater opportunity to work with more hotels and local businesses to open Expedia branded desks throughout the country. During the first year, we will be serving over one million passengers and will eventually expand into other cities throughout the Kingdom. Phuket has already launched with a full service Expedia Local Expert centre in the heart of Patong”

Eric David, VP and general manager for Expedia Local Expert at Expedia, said, “Expedia Local Expert is a one-stop resource providing local activities, tours and transportation in over 400 destinations. We are extremely excited to introduce it in Thailand as we continue to expand our global footprint.

We have been conducting business with Tour East Thailand, the market leader in the tourism sector in Asia for the past few years, and believe they are the right partner to run this program starting in Phuket and Bangkok. We feel that their attention to detail, robust portfolio and level of service is very much aligned with our standards of service that are necessary to provide our guests with the best possible experiences.

As part of the agreement, Tour East Thailand will be providing hospitality hours and operating full service concierge desks throughout the hotels. While there may be several companies providing transfer and activity services to our guests, Tour East Thailand will remain our sole and exclusive in destination operator.”

For more information about Tour East Thailand visit www.toureast.net