Focussing on ‘indulgence’
The country aims at crossing one million arrivals from India again in 2013 and plans new strategies to attract repeat travellers…
There’s definitely room for more luxury as the spending power exists. Moreover, at any price point, Thailand meets and surpasses expectations
Thailand is no more a ‘ stranger’ for Indian tourists as the country received over one million arrivals from India last year. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in Mumbai is undertaking vital steps to retain and further grow these numbers through unique strategies. After organising multiple roadshows in India over the years, TAT has now opted for ‘specialised’ roadshows focussing on particular segments like wedding, golf and now luxury. Sethaphan Buddhani, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mumbai said, “Our focus for 2014 would be more on indulging and connecting Indian travellers with our local culture. We want Indians to experience more than just Thailand. Experience our culture, festivals, food and even make friends with locals. If travellers ‘connect’ well with a destination, they will indeed come back.”
Luxury selling
TAT recently organised a luxury roadshow themed ‘A World of Luxury, a Luxury Hotels Showcase’ in Mumbai and New Delhi showcasing the high-end products for leisure and MICE segment among Indian travel trade. Buddhani said, “Indian trav- ellers are certainly upgrading preferences and increasing spends. Take, for example, the weddings segment: Last year alone, over 100 HNIs (HighNet-Worth Individuals) from India celebrated their weddings in Thailand. An Indian couple spends an average of THB 10 million over a minimum 4-day long stay for themselves and their invitees. A single Indian wedding has a guest list of about 200-400 or even more, calling for entire hotels to be booked at times. And this is just one segment within the larger market. There’s definitely room for more luxury as the spending power exists. Moreover, at any price point, Thailand meets and surpasses expectations.”
He said that the premium segment - that contributed to 20 per cent of the one million arrivals in 2012 - is also viewing Thailand as a golf getaway. He said, “Our estimates suggest that golf tourism to Thailand was worth US$ 2.88 billion in land arrangements alone in 2012. Industry sources expect 15 percent growth by the end of 2013 to more than 850,000 golf visitors, worth US$ 3.68 billion.”