Sector to get boost if recovery falters

DOMESTIC TOURISM

Domestic tourism will be given a massive push to offset external impacts if arrivals remain sluggish next year, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

A proactive marketing programme would be beefed up next year to promote domestic tourism as a key mechanism to stimulate the local economy, said Wansadet Thavornsuk, governor for domestic marketing at the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

The marketing budget is unlikely to be less than this year's estimated spending of 700 million baht.

On average the TAT spends about 600 million baht a year to promote domestic tourism, but this year it has received an extra 100 million baht to boost local tourism after the industry was hard hit by April's riots.

Funded by the extra budget, the TAT has organised two tourism fairs in Pattaya and Ubon Ratchathani, and has planned more, including Phitsanulok late this month, Nakhon Si Thammarat in August and Ayutthaya in September.

The agency expects each fair to generate revenues of about 30 million baht and to raise domestic travel by about 60,000-70,000 trips.

The TAT said domestic travel should meet its projected target of 87 million trips and 388 billion baht in revenue this year despite the H1N1 outbreak.

For next year, targets for domestic travel were set at 90 million trips and 429 billion baht in revenue.

To achieve these goals, the TAT has pledged to step up its cooperation with various agencies to organise more marketing activities.

The programme would focus on attracting new groups such as local administration officials, expatriates and niche markets such as golfers.

The TAT is teaming up with Tambon Administration and Provincial Administration Organisations and the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) to organise 10 workshops in each of the country's regions.

The programme will be implemented in the next fiscal year starting from October. Each workshop will have about 400 participants.

The TAT will also cooperate with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to arrange short tourism packages of one to three days in Bangkok and nearby provinces, particularly for businesspeople visiting the capital.

"People may panic at first, but the new flu is unlikely to affect their travelling plans," he said.

Kongkrit Hiranyakit, president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, said Thai travel during the long weekend of July 4-8, increased by 30% while hotel occupancy rates increased to 60% from 40% on average.

Mr Kongkrit said the domestic tourism industry would receive another much-needed boost if the government declared another long weekend.