Who is Sasithara Pichaichannarong ?
Dr. Sasithara Pichaichannarong is Rector of College of Tourism and Hospitality and sport, Rangsit University, Thailand.
She is the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand and responsible for eco-tourism projects under Tourism Cooperation of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).
Educated in Bangkok and had her Master and Ph.D. Degrees from the Sorbonne University in Paris, France, Sasithara Pichaichannarong was appointed Deputy Permanent Delegate of Thailand to UNESCO in Paris from 1996-1998. She has taken up her post as Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports in October 2005 after having completed her 3 years as Director-General of the Office of Tourism Development within the same Ministry.
Her experience in the field of tourism and her dedication to creating a healthy and positive environment within which the tourism industry in Thailand can grow and flourish has been recognized in the special assignments she has spearheaded over the years. She has been the Chairperson of The UNWTO Committee on Sustainable Tourism Development, Vice Chair of Regional Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Vice Chair of Risk and Crisis Assessment and Management and also Chairperson of Thailand’s Technical Group of ISO’s tourism Standard and related services.
When Thailand was hit by Tsunami, she was in charge of Tourism Strategy in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank and Thailand teams. She was involved in developing effective strategies for economic cooperation with neighboring countries and is currently supervising the international relations of the Ministry’s portfolio.