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TOURISM
CHATRUDEE THEPARAT
Twenty-four boutique hotels and 11 travel agents yesterday launched the "One Price All Destinations" campaign to spur domestic tourism.
The package features special room rates of 2,000 baht per night per person, including accommodation, breakfast and dinner, and airport transfers where applicable.
The participating hotels are located in Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Pran Buri, Krabi, Chumpon, Chiang Rai, Sukhothai, Samui and Koh Phangan. Bookings are open both for Thai and foreign tourists from today until Feb 28, with eligible stays until June 30.
Normally, boutique hotels would offer room rates at about 5,000 to 6,000 baht per night.
According to Lily Udomkunnatum, managing director of Burasari Group, the recent closures of Bangkok airports have delivered a heavy blow to all boutique hotels, which are mostly small and medium-sized.
Unlike large hotels or international chains, boutique hotels have limited marketing budgets, she said.
The campaign will benefit not only the hotels themselves and their customers but also travel agents, which can keep their headcounts, as well as the overall tourism industry.
Santichai Euachongprasit, deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for international marketing, said the TAT would participate in the scheme by setting up a website at http://www.thailandsuperdeal.com as a channel for operators to promote their special prices. The website would be also linked to other well-known websites worldwide.
The TAT's domestic and overseas offices would also help promote the programme via online and printed advertising free of charge.
Speeches of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva would be delivered to overseas tour operators and foreign visitors to help restore confidence, he said.
He believes the programme would help ease the impact on boutique hotels to a certain extent in the first quarter of 2009 because the hotels are widely popular among European visitors.
The TAT itself is currently in the process of revising its marketing plan for overseas markets. The plan would be reviewed by the TAT's board next week.
Richard Brouwer, chief operating officer of Diethelm, said it was a difficult time for the Thai tourism industry when all parties need to lend a hand to help restore confidence in the industry.
Marcel Beoni, general manager of Siam Express, said safety and security measures also played a very significant part in reviving confidence among operators and foreign visitors so the new government should give priority to the issue.
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