SiteMinder, a Sydney-based distribution hospitality platform provider, has observed tremendous growth in online hotel bookings in Thailand, with global platforms taking the top three spots.
Booking.com, Agoda and Expedia are the dominant online travel agents (OTAs) used by tourists when looking for holidays in Thailand, said Brad Haines, SiteMinder's regional vice-president for Asia-Pacific.
Direct bookings from hotel websites, which also saw strong performance, came in fourth place.
Some 12 OTAs contributed more than 89% of total revenue for Thai hoteliers that are SiteMinder customers.
According to SiteMinder, direct accommodation sales via hotel websites in Thailand grew 10 times to 22.9 billion baht last year from 2.86 billion baht in 2009.
Accommodation sales via OTAs grew by about 6½ times to 52.3 billion baht in 2019 from 8.51 billion in 2009.
Mr Haines said hotel operators in Thailand should diversify sales channels, combining international OTA platforms and direct bookings via hotel-owned websites.
Although famous platforms can penetrate a wider market range, hoteliers have to pay commission fees on each reservation.
Mr Haines encourages operators to develop hotel websites that can contribute more comprehensive revenue and also express the characteristics of hotels to meet the demand of experiential travellers who seek uniqueness.
A user compares offers at Agoda and TripAdvisor, two travel-related websites.
In addition, direct bookings will forge a stronger relationship between hotels and guests ahead of their stay.
For the tourism outlook this year, Mr Haines said Thailand's resilient industry is expected to bounce back quickly, despite the impact of the coronavirus outbreak causing the number of overall reservations in January to drop by 30% year-on-year.
The slowdown in Chinese tourists during this time might be an opportunity for the domestic market to grow as local travellers look for in-country trips.
The company's statistics show that in the past decade, domestic travel grew by 135% to 134 million trips in 2019.
In addition to hotels in popular destinations like Bangkok, Phuket and Koh Samui, the company, which has been operating in Thailand since 2012, is keen on extending its presence to hotels in provinces with potential.
"Provinces near Pattaya, such as Rayong, are another great market that will receive support to offer more access for both leisure and business travellers," Mr Haines said.
