Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 22 (ANI): Ankita Jaiswal, Chairperson of Sustainable & Responsible Tourism at HRANI & UPHRA, lauded the deep cultural connection demonstrated by Thailand's Ambassador to India, Chavanart Thangsumphant, toward the spiritual city of Varanasi.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 56th Annual Convention of the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), Jaiswal noted that Ambassador Thangsumphant has connected profoundly with the soul of the city.

'She has experienced Banaras more, not the Banaras people, because when you come from a place with the strongest support and background of Buddhism for centuries, imbibing the sayings of the Buddha is very important when you're here,' Jaiswal remarked.

Describing Varanasi as a unique destination, Jaiswal emphasised, 'It is a city of spirits, spirituality, and religion, and that's one of the very big foundations to take ahead Banaras.' She further praised the Ambassador for embracing local traditions, noting that she has worn traditional Banarasi weaves, and for stepping forward to back a futuristic collaborative project.

'She has worn Banarasi weaves and been a part of a collaborative project, which takes a lot to agree to and take on a very futuristic project. So Banaras, I think she knows more than us as of now,' she said.

Earlier, Thailand's Ambassador to India Chavanart Thangsumphant highlighted that India and Thailand are already strong partners in tourism, with growing travel between the two countries, greater integration between India's UPI and Thailand's PromptPay digital payment systems could further boost economic ties and make cross-border transactions more convenient.

Speaking in an exclusive interview to ANI on the sidelines of the Annual Convention of FHRAI, the Thai envoy highlighted the growing movement of tourists between the two countries, including Indian destination weddings in Thailand and Thai tourists visiting destinations such as Ladakh.'We are very good partners in tourism already. I saw a lot of Thai people going to Ladakh, and Indian people come to have the wedding ceremony in Thailand a lot because somehow flying from Delhi to Bangkok or to Phuket is shorter,' Thangsumphant said.

She also underlined the potential of integrating the two countries' digital payment systems, saying such connectivity could accelerate economic growth and make travel and shopping more convenient for people.

'The digital economy will accelerate our economic growth. If you can use UPI to pay for your shopping in Thailand and we can use our PromptPay to pay for any of our shopping goods here, it would be brilliant, right?' she said.

The envoy said seamless digital payments could provide people with a more convenient way of life while also strengthening economic engagement between India and Thailand.

'And people can have a more comfortable or convenient way of life,' she added.

India and Thailand share warm and friendly ties across sectors of their partnership. (ANI)