MBK Center makes a run at attracting Muslim visitors
MBK Center plans to target Muslim markets this year and focus on the online channel to boost sales at the shopping complex.
Siratha Suksawang, executive vicepresident of marketing at MBK Plc, said the complex offers unique services to Muslim tourists, including various halal restaurants, a prayer room and a tourist lounge.
The offerings are intended to attract more Muslim tourists, especially those from India, to the mall.
Ms Siratha said the company will also emphasise Asian markets, working to entice shoppers from China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
“Purchasing power is increasing in all of these markets because of steady economic growth. With Thailand’s great geographic location, tourists from these markets can visit or return with ease,” she said.
The company’s other goal for 2018 is to beef up its online direct marketing to attract younger consumers, said Miss Siratha.
More than 45,000 foreign visitors go to MBK every day, spending, on average, 4,000 baht per person, according to the company’s statistics.
In 2017, the number of foreign visitors grew 12.7% from the previous year, mainly attributed to tourists from Europe and Asia. The top five source countries were Germany, India, France, Britain and Australia, said Ms Siratha.
This year, MBK is working with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to tailor its marketing plan in accordance with the government’s policy to attract more quality tourists and increase spending per person.
MBK has also established three major strategies to increase the number of tourists to grow its business: utilise international online media to create awareness among foreign tourists; publicise itself as a popular tourist destination and tourist service centre in Bangkok, for example, by providing transit services; and setting up facilities and stores that cover tourists’ needs, including free internet hotspots, bag storage service, battery charging stations and over 4,000 stores.
The top products and services at MBK Center for tourists in terms of spending are accessories, financial transactions, mobile phones and other gadgets.
According to a company survey, tourists, on average, spend 4-7 days in Bangkok. The most popular activities are shopping, touring sites and cultural destinations, as well as visiting spas and Thai massage parlours.
“The survey also indicated that foreign tourists’ behaviour bodes well for MBK Center, as we offer a range of local and internationally branded products. With the bright prospects for the economy this year, retail businesses are set to significantly grow,” she said.
The Thai government has likewise viewed attracting more high-quality tourists as one of its key economic drivers.
Statistics from the Tourism Department released in August showed that in 2015, international visitors spent 5,142 baht per person per day, up 7% from the previous year.
The highest-spending tourists were from the Middle East, spending 5,890 baht per person per day on average. Visitors from the UAE in particular spent 6,812 baht per person per day, followed by Saudi Arabia (6,724 baht).
Visitors from Oceania spent 5,871 baht per person per day, followed by South Asia (5,688), East Asia (5,572), Africa (5,371), the Americas (4,903) and Europe (4,282).
China, which is largest source market for international visitors to Thailand, spent 5,983 baht per person per day.