The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is collaborating with 24 high-potential Thai startups to break into the Nordic market.
The TAT office in Stockholm initiated a project called "Bringing the New Shades of Thailand to Nordic Travellers", hoping startups can expand the Thai tourism market in four countries: Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.
TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the first phase of the project will be moved forward from October to open a new vision of tourism focused on journeys, experiential tourism, gastronomy, wellness and spas, as well as sports in Thailand.
This includes local experiences in secondary cities and communities for sustainable development, he said.
Mr Yuthasak said this project will introduce new services to the market and nudge Nordic travellers to explore other regions in Thailand, especially second-tier cities and communities where Thai startups can help travellers and at the same time resolve the lack of facilities in some areas.
"This will be a good opportunity for Thai startups for promote their new products and services directly to the end consumer and expand business to the Nordic market in the long run," he said.
The startups who participate in the project will receive customer insights and market knowledge, together with marketing tools supported by TAT. Digital platforms, online and offline activities will be integrated in TAT's market plans.
The 24 startups will also help design or tailor their products and services to match customer needs. The goal for the Nordic tourism market is at least 5% more spending per trip, said Mr Yuthasak.
Nordic tourists are a quality market, even though they have a combined population of only 26.5 million in the four countries. Nordic visitors to Thailand exceeded 700,000 last year, contributing income of 64 billion baht.
Most travellers are repeat visitors with long stays per trip, averaging 17 days and spending an average of 87,000 baht per trip.
This is much higher than tourists from other parts of Europe, Mr Yuthasak said.