Issue 46

Last year was a good one for Thailand’s tourism sector with 20% growth, this year TAT has a dual strategy to ensure this impressive performance is maintained.

China is now by far the biggest source of visitor arrivals to Thailand. Last year some 7.88 million Chinese visitors came to the kingdom, and this year, according to figures from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the trend seems set to continue.

“In January 2016, Thailand welcomed 814,593 Chinese visitors – up 45.37% over the same period in 2015,” Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT’s Governor, told Horizon Thailand in an exclusive interview. TAT expects that Chinese visitors will generate 436 billion baht of revenue, a rise of 16% on 2015’s figures.

Supasorn attributes Thailand’s attractiveness to Chinese visitors to a number of factors.

“Thailand has a positive image amongst Chinese travellers as a friendly and hospitable destination, a variety of tourist attractions with value-for-money products and services,” he says, adding that visa on arrival facilities and the “great Chinese cuisine all over Thailand” are other contributing factors.

TAT’s governor is also keen to emphasise the authority’s strong marketing campaign spearheaded by its five Chinese offices in Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Kunming and Shanghai. The campaign targets “both first-time and repeat visitors as well as Free Independent Travellers (FITs) and high-end market segments”. This strategy is in line with the government’s policy to focus on stimulating tourist spending rather than simply looking at arrival numbers.

“TAT has also continuously been promoting and marketing Thailand in China, placing emphasis on establishing partnerships between Thai and Chinese tour companies to promote quality tour packages and participating in local and international travel trade events to strengthen the awareness of Thailand as a top tourist destination,” he adds.

For 2016, TAT will also emphasise the country’s healthy wellness and spa sector.

“The art of rejuvenation and healing, from organic spa therapies to traditional Thai massage, is an integral part of Thai culture that has been passed on for centuries,” says Supasorn. “There are also varieties of Thai traditional spas for customers to choose, ranging from the northern Lanna style to the southern Nora.”

Supasorn believes that visitors are drawn by the “good quality service, Thai hospitality, the expertise of therapists together with the reasonable prices”.

Thailand’s now world-famous private hospitals can also act as magnets to draw medical tourists, according to Supasorn.

“Across the country, visitors will find a myriad of choices of wellness offers, ranging from traditional Thai massage shops and day-spa establishments to destination wellness centres and international standard hospitals,” he says.

According to Supasorn, the latest industry hot trend is “anti-ageing” with many specialised centres available around the country. Last year, TAT organised the ‘Thailand Health and Wellness Tourism Showcase 2015; Anti Aging: The Next Big Thing in Health Tourism’.

“The event consisted of a trade conference and business matching meetings between 36 top anti-ageing and aesthetic providers in Thailand, such as, hospitals, anti-ageing clinics, aesthetic clinics, with 50 medical tourism facilitators and travel agencies as well as participants from 18 countries,” he says.

Certainly, judging by its current performance, Thailand’s tourism industry is showing no sign of ageing.

Words by Mark Bibby Jackson