The dialogue on changing Thailand’s name back to Siam was initiated last week during the Royal Golden Jubilee-PhD Scholarship International Seminar Series LII.� � The country’s official name was Siam until it was changed to Thailand during Second World War II. Since then she has proven to be a successful nation in the South East Asian region by attracting many tourists to its culture, sunny beaches and exciting night life among other interests.

This new development comes right after The Tourism Authority of Thailand announced a new promotion campaign called “Seven Amazing Wonders of Thailand”. The new campaign is designed to help attain a target of 14.8 million international visitor arrivals in 2007 and 15.7 million in 2008.� � The new campaign will continue to be underpinned by the strong branding slogan “Amazing Thailand” which proved hugely successful in 1998/99 and underscores the country’s image as a peaceful, hospitable country and a year-round tourism destination with high quality of value-for-money products and services.”

Though many feel that a name change for Thailand is an uphill climb, it has not dissuaded those dedicated to return to Siam. As part of their efforts, an online petition to re-name Thailand to