The Tourism Authority of Thailand is to stay on course to position Thailand as the Tourism Capital of Asia under its marketing plan for 2006…
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is to stay on course to position Thailand as the Tourism Capital of Asia under its marketing plan for 2006 by maintaining its focus on the three pillars of Quality Products, Sustainability and Competitiveness.
The arrivals targets for 2006 are 15.12 million international visitors and 79.33 million domestic trips, with each sector generating estimated tourism revenues of 533 billion baht and 380 billion baht tourism respectively.
Says Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Mrs Juthamas Siriwan, Although we have felt the after-effects of the December 26, 2004, tsunami crisis in the first half of 2005, we are confident that with appropriate marketing strategies and the strong support of the Thai government, we will be able to turn the situation around in the not too distant future.
TAT officials from around the world met last week in Bangkok for their annual marketing meeting and consultations with the private sector. This time, a new format was adopted that allowed for one-on-one discussions between the TAT officials and private sector executives.
According to Mrs Juthamas, for both the overseas and domestic markets, TAT will focus on five distinct categories of tourist attractions: beaches, cities and historical sites, natural sites, cultural sites and special interest.
The main tourism promotion and marketing theme for 2006 will be `Thailand Happiness on Earth` highlighting the traditional hospitality of Thai people and the kingdom`s unique cultural, historical, natural heritage.
Said Mrs Juthamas, We want to ensure that all visitors feel at home and want to visit Thailand again in the future, whether for business, pleasure or organising a MICE event. We also want them to recommend Thailand to their friends, relatives and colleagues.
She noted that inspite of some occasional unforeseen circumstances, the global travel industry remained buoyant.
Markets targeted for intensive promotions are mainly in the Asia-Pacific, Europe and East Asia region: China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. These are now the dominant generators of volume visitors for Thailand.
Short-haul markets where people are travelling for shorter periods but more often include Malaysia and Singapore.
Emerging markets that will get an extra marketing push include Russia, Ukraine, the CIS Group, India, Middle East and Africa.
In addition, a number of new tourism products and services have been identified to cater to the needs of specific market segments.
These include MICE and business travellers, high-income visitors, wellness and spa, ladies, long-stay visitors, young people, senior citizens, golf, diving, religion, family and honeymooners.
Other strategies will be similar to those designed to attract international visitors, to increase the frequency of travel and spread it evenly through the year, especially during the Green Season.
As for the domestic marketing plans, Mrs Juthamas said the TAT will retain the marketing campaign slogan There`s no place better than home.
We will undertake more activities to get visitors to spend more and increase the frequency of travel, she said.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
