Thai tourists are prioritising cheap prices when selecting travel deals for Songkran in April, according to the promoter of Thai Teaw Thai tourism fair.
As the subsidy for hotel rooms in the domestic travel scheme expired last month, hotel operators participating in a tourism fair scheduled for March 4-7 at Bitec have to offer promotions to maintain sales momentum, said Krit Patarapal, managing director of PK Exhibition.
"Promotions are a key driver for locals, so the event this week will continue with value-for-money prices to attract people who have become more price conscious during this economic downturn," he said.
Mr Krit said both international chains and local hotels have to shift focus onto the domestic market by setting more competitive prices.
Hotels in Bangkok are planning to offer heavy discounts on restaurant and staycation packages at the fair, a move rarely seen before the pandemic.
Transactions from the four-day event are estimated to generate 100-150 million baht, compared with 300-400 million before the outbreak, while the event is expected to attract 20,000 visitors -- a far cry from the 250,000 visitors seen previously.
Last week, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration allowed venues to host larger events of up to 300 visitors. Events with more participants must seek approval and follow health-related guidelines.
The fair has to comply with safety and hygiene measures such as spacing each booth to disperse the flow of visitors and limiting the use of audio equipment to avoid drawing attention in an effort to avoid mass gatherings in a specific area.
He said the fair will be among the first exhibitions held after restrictions were put in place and will help restart domestic tourism after a the second wave of outbreaks disrupted travel activity.
"Domestic tourism has a lead role in supporting the overall industry in the next couple years and this is the perfect time to raise awareness on domestic tourism for locals," said Mr Krit.
The number of booths is set at 550 or less than half the 1,200 booths at the event last year while some exhibitors reduced their presence to reduce costs.
Mr Krit said he has discussed holding the fair next year at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, the renovation of which is set to be completed next year.
