Tourism analysts predicted the latest trends and product developments set to affect the Thai tourism industry in the years ahead at a recent seminar organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, TAT deputy governor for international marketing in Asia and the South Pacific, said tourism stakeholders pledged to drive tourism forward, boost capacity, and sharpen strategies in line with new trends.
"The tourism sector needs to be aware of the importance of trends in the industry, to improve the quality of work being done at all levels to make Thailand a major destination in line with the Thailand 4.0 development strategy," Mr Chattan said.
In order to cope with new challenges, TAT is working to share information and knowledge to upgrade industry standards, build a strong tourism academic network, and spark creativity.
New trend approaching
Jutamas Wisansing, executive director of Perfect Link Consulting Group, said the tourism industry needs to adapt in line with changes in technologies and demographics.
Thailand should prepare for the change and deal with new trends to maintain its position as top tourism destination in the future.
Ms Jutamas said the change of demographics will create new tourist segments, including "after millennial" and "longer age society". With people living up to the age of 90, the elderly will have more time to live and travel. Meanwhile, the young generation can be redefined as genderless tourists and become "I design" travellers.
Tourism marketers will have to flow with these trends.
One of the strategies that tourism operators and marketers may have to use is to hook their targets with newer tools. Using influencers is one option that suits social media-centric society.
In addition, future tourists care about advanced technology and handiness, not only for cashless payments but also real time on-demand service, both pre- and post-trip. Many tourists will seek extreme experiences such as space tours rather than local experiences.
Apart from the China wave, another segment set to grow and drive world tourism is the Muslim market, and Mrs Jutamas sees Thailand gaining both markets.
Understanding China
Danaitun Pongpatcharatrontep, chief of the Intelligence Centre at Chiang Mai University, said Chinese travellers have been flocking abroad, creating business opportunities.
In 2016, more than 130 million Chinese travelled abroad, 8.4 million of whom came to Thailand. About 10 million Chinese are expected to visit Thailand this year.
"Chinese tourism is a different form from other countries. Chinese tourists and business operators look for partners in targeted destinations before sending their customers. This is clearly seen in Thailand," he said.
Many tourist groups come to Thailand using Chinese airlines, and eat and shop at Chinese-owned businesses and partnerships. The Chinese government also pushes people to travel during the weekend.
"We can see many Chinese tourists in Chiang Mai province from Friday to Sunday," said Mr Danaitun.
Nearly half of Chinese tourists to Thailand are younger travellers who demand basic services such as WiFi, internet and social media access.
"An important new trend among Chinese tourists is 'Solomo', which refers to their needs. 'So' is social media, 'lo' is refers to local experience and food, and 'mo' is mobile travel," he said.
Use big data
Shivek Sachdev, managing director of Mindstree Co, said the tourism industry needs a lot of data and information, not only about places, products and services, but also customer data.
He proposed how travel industry researchers and executives can process and analyse the vast amount of information that is widely available.
Having big data from tourists will allow the industry to understand their tastes and what they expect while in the country, said Mr Shivek.
"The internet has evolved as a key tool for operators to get big data. Understanding and responding to that information will help tourist voices be heard, and allow reaction and response to them, which creates segmentation," he said.
Mr Shivek also urged use of social media influencers to create a big response from potential tourists.