A Decade with Thailand Privilege: 10 Years of Daimaru Trading as Authorized GSSA (2015–2025)

Daimaru Trading Co., Ltd. was appointed as an authorized General Sales & Services Agent (GSSA) of Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd. on 1 October 2015. What began as one appointment among many has grown into one of the longest and most decorated partnerships in the Thailand Privilege program. This is the record of ten years — the events, the officials, and the moments that shaped it.

2015 — The appointment

Daimaru Trading received its first GSSA appointment from Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd. (TPC) on 1 October 2015. The company is headquartered in Sendai, Miyagi prefecture, Japan. President Kazuo Daimaru and his family are themselves Thailand Elite members — an unusual detail that placed Daimaru on both sides of the relationship from day one.

2017 — First active promotion in Japan

Daimaru Trading's first major public appearance promoting Thailand Elite was the Long-Stay Fair Japan 2017. That same year, Daimaru began its three-year sponsorship of the Long Stay Foundation's annual events (2017–2019), hosting a dedicated booth for the Thailand Elite program and inviting Thailand Elite management to attend at our booth. Japanese long-stay enthusiasts met Thai officials and TPC board members directly at these booths.

2018 — TAT Travel Expo Tokyo + first golf tournament

Daimaru Trading and Thailand Elite shared a joint booth at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Travel Expo 2018 in Tokyo. In the same year, we launched what would become our longest-running annual event format:

The 2018 TGWA Thailand Elite Cup — the inaugural golf tournament at The Royal Gems Golf City, co-hosted with TPC and TAT, with 130+ participants and Japanese pro golfer Nobuo Serizawa headlining. The tournament has run annually ever since (except during COVID) and is documented in its own dedicated post:

→ The Thailand Privilege Cup: 8 Years, 6 Tournaments, 800+ Japanese Golfers (2018–2025)

2019–2020 — Golf tournament + continued activity

Thailand Elite × DOCUS Cup (2019) at Subhapruek Golf Club and Thailand Elite Cup (2020) at Bangkok Golf Club continued the annual format with DOCUS as a new sponsor — introducing Thai women pro golfers to the field in 2020.

2021–2022 — COVID pause

International travel restrictions paused most in-person activity. The Daimaru–TPC relationship continued through quieter channels: coordination calls, administrative support for members who were already Thailand Elite holders, and planning for a post-pandemic return.

2022 — First standalone roadshow event

In July 2022, Daimaru hosted its first standalone flagship event: the Thailand Flexible Plus Program Roadshow at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo and Hotel Nikko Osaka. The Tokyo opening ceremony was attended by:

• H.E. the Ambassador of Thailand
• The Consul General of Thailand
• Vice Presidents of Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd.
• The Director of the TAT Tokyo Office

This event set the template for what would become the annual Japan Road Show.

2023–2025 — Japan Road Show (annual flagship)

Since 2023, our flagship annual seminar has been the Japan Road Show — held across two or three Japanese cities each year in cooperation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd., and partner schools and advisors. Full year-by-year detail is in its dedicated post:

→ The Japan Road Show Story: Daimaru Trading's Thailand Seminars in Japan (2022–2025)

2024–2026 — "Best Cooperation" GSSA Award · three consecutive years

At GSSA Day 2024 (Siam Kempinski Hotel, Bangkok, 20 March 2024), Daimaru Trading received the Best Cooperation GSSA of 2024 from TPC President Mr. Manatase Annawat. The award recognizes outstanding partnership performance and continuous contribution.

In 2025, Daimaru was honored with the same award again — the Best Cooperation GSSA of 2025.

And in 2026, at Thailand Appreciation Day, Daimaru received the Best Cooperation GSSA of 2026 — a third consecutive year of recognition for partnership quality by Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd. itself.

2025–2027 — Current official authorization

Our current GSSA appointment certificate from Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd. is signed by President Mr. Manatase Annawat and binding from 1 October 2025 through 30 September 2027. Every application submitted through thailandelite.net flows through this active, officially-documented authorization.

Four successive TPC Presidents across a decade

A decade of GSSA service means working alongside multiple TPC administrations. Daimaru Trading has partnered directly with four successive TPC Presidents:

1. Mr. Pruet Boobphakam (Former President) — attended our Thailand Elite Night party in Tokyo alongside Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand
2. Mr. Somchai Soongsawang (Former President) — joined Kazuo and Naoto Daimaru at a Long-Stay Seminar in Bangkok
3. Mr. Mana Pongsanarakul (Former President) — hosted Kazuo Daimaru at Thailand Elite's head office in Bangkok
4. Mr. Manatase Annawat (Current President) — signatory on our active 2025–2027 GSSA certificate and presenter of our 2024, 2025, and 2026 Best Cooperation awards

That continuity across four administrations is rare. Many GSSAs exist within the scope of one TPC leadership cycle; we have been present across all of them.

A decade in numbers

What this decade has produced — and hasn't

Every event in this article has a date, a venue, and named attendees — all documented in our photo archive from the past 10 years. When you work with Daimaru Trading, you're engaging with a GSSA whose claims you can verify, not a generalist agent describing partnerships that never quite happened.

That's the standard we hold ourselves to.

Get in touch

• English / Thai applications: Contact Pat · +66 65-156-1561 · info@thailandelite.net
• Japanese-language channel: タイランドエリートインフォメーションセンター · 0120-859-777 (Japan) · +81-50-3521-0296 (international)