Eleven countries joined hands in TOUR ASIA GROUP (TAG) to create Asia’s largest tour network for the first time in the travel history.

TAG had its first board meeting at Ramada hotel in Bangkok on June 19, 2009. The group aims to promote each other's business in their own home countries as well as in the global market, doubling the volume of business in the next year.

The TAG board was also able to formulate, plan, and unanimously conclude the economic benefits that each TAG country member will gain through formation of TAG.

It will strengthen the propaganda and sales, and it plans to offer special FAM trips for the media and travel industry at large.

Specialized tour packages, hotels, car rentals, cruises, airline bookings, and other tourism products with some exclusive features will be offered and launched to the global travel market in due course. TAG is also launching a new concept of country-combined Asia package tours to the worldwide market under one TAG umbrella.

Future marketing efforts will be done to set up alliances, increase TAG members, and set up overseas offices, said TAG in a statement.

TAG partners are represented by the leading tour operators from the following countries: Thailand, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.