The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has kicked off what it calls a "honeyteering" trip in Thailand to capture the growing popularity of this new trend among high-end foreign honeymooners.
Newlyweds looking for an unusual honeymoon are one of the TAT’s new target segments.
Honeyteering, a honeymoon in which couples spend time volunteering in local communities, particularly in a foreign country, has become a popular trend among honeymooners from Europe, the US, Australia and some Asian countries such as Japan and China.
Presently, the popular honeyteering destinations are Peru, Kenya, Sri Lanka and India.
The TAT is confident Thailand has the potential to penetrate this market segment, as the country ranks as one of the world's most popular romantic destinations for weddings and honeymoons.
On Jan 9, the website Fodors.com and an article entitled "The World’s Best Honeymoon Destinations for 2014" mentioned and ranked Thailand fifth on the list.
Sugree Sithivanich, the TAT's deputy governor for marketing communications, said many newlyweds are looking for extraordinary and memorable ways to start their married life or commemorate their anniversary.
Sharing a fulfilling volunteer experience is one way, as it offers much more than just a traditional honeymoon experience and makes it truly different and rewarding.
The TAT, Thai Airways International and 21 honeymoon hotels and volunteer operators have designed the campaign under the tagline "We got so much love to give, aiming to tap newlyweds who are seeking new ways to add meaning to their honeymoons or anniversaries by doing some local volunteer activities".
The campaign is open to honeymooners worldwide to enter a contest to win an exclusive seven-day honeyteering trip to Thailand, which is open for an application until May 10 via the website Honeyteeringthailand.com.
Contestants can choose their preferred honeyteering activities such as teaching English conversation in a local school, working in a local community, protecting the marine environment or helping on a nature project.
The choice of destinations includes Hua Hin, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Koh Samui.
Mr Sugree said the weddings and honeymoons segment is one of the four key niche-marketing customer segments targeted by TAT as part of its marketing strategy this year.