TAT lays out visitor boost strategies

TAT lays out visitor boost strategies

Families and affluent travellers targeted

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is mapping out plans to boost arrivals from Asia and the South Pacific, as well as high-end visitors from China.

The plans also include families travelling from Southeast Asia, India and Australia.

Santi Chudintra, deputy governor for international marketing for Asia and South Pacific, said the TAT will organise familiarisation trips to four secondary cities in China -- Jinan, Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou and Wuhan -- during March 26-30.

The TAT will bring 50 travel companies from the Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta) to meet with 30-40 local travel companies in each city for business negotiations.

"It will be a big collaboration between Thailand, China and the TAT that is expected to help boost arrivals from China, especially to secondary provinces and the high-end segment," Mr Santi said.

Santi: Collaborating with China for growth

China has been the largest source of international arrivals to Thailand for years, with 9.8 million visitors in 2017, representing 28% of total arrivals. The number is expected to exceed 10 million this year and 12 million next year.

During the first two months of 2018, Thailand welcomed 2.2 million Chinese tourists.

Mr Santi said the four secondary cities in mainland China are in populated provinces with growing middle-class segments, fostering solo travellers and high spenders.

The TAT and Atta will not only encourage solo travellers and family visitors, but will also focus on the high-end segment by promoting exclusive Thailand packages at the event.

To get more high-end tourists, the TAT worked with 20 travel operators and destination management companies in Thailand last month.

Exclusive packages will consist of existing or new attractions but will be tailored to tourists' requests.

Mr Santi said all five TAT offices and five marketing representatives in China are instructed to seek more high-end visitors in order to increase the proportion of these arrivals.

The offices are in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Kunming and Guangzhou, and the five marketing representatives are in Wuhan, Nanning, Xiamen, Xian and Xiangyang.

Last year, high-end travellers represented just 10% of total Chinese visitors, while 30% were in the middle-class segment and 60% were from the low-income segment.

Based on the TAT's criteria, the low-end segment included visitors who earned total income of up to US$20,000 a year, or not over 660,000 baht.

The middle segment means total income of not over $60,000, and high-end refers to income of more than $60,000 a year.

"In the next few years, the average income ratio for Chinese people will change significantly, with the proportion of low-, middle- and high-end people shifting to 50%, 35% and 15%, respectively, from 60%, 30% and 10% today," Mr Santi said.

The market has strong potential, but the TAT is still dealing with many obstacles.

One key issue is the notoriously cheap "zero-dollar tours" that ravaged Thai tourism for years.

These cheap packages were sometimes offered in China for as low as 999 yuan per person per trip, or about 5,000 baht, resulting in poor facilities for Chinese travellers in Thailand.

The problem prompted Thai and Chinese governments to crack down two years ago.

The average price for a three-day, two-night package being sold in China has risen to 5,000-6,000 yuan, or 25,000-30,000 baht per person per trip, which Mr Santi deemed reasonable.

He said the TAT will continue providing travel advisory and suggestions to Chinese tourists, as well as asking travel companies to keep an eye on clients visiting Thailand.

Apart from China, the agency plans to penetrate the South Korean market by conducting business talks between travel agents in Thailand and South Korea in Bangkok this week.

The TAT will work with travel companies in both countries to promote tourism attractions and activities in secondary provinces such as Lampang, Lop Buri, Ratchaburi and Samut Sakhon.

"South Korea is the third-largest market for Thai tourism, behind China and Malaysia," Mr Santi said.

Last year, 1.7 million South Koreans travelled to Thailand as 500,000 Thais visited South Korea. The two countries aim to boost bilateral travel to 3 million by 2020.

Mr Santi said the TAT is also set to boost family travellers from Southeast Asia, India and Australia this year.

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