“Thainess” will be the core of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s upcoming campaigns, following a study showing travellers’ interest for an authentic experience.
BANGKOK – A neologism comes increasingly often in the mind of marketing people of the Tourism Authority of Thailand: “Thainess”. Two years ago, TAT even released a booklet around that word which defined what makes Thailand so… Thai! The booklet spoke about the devotion to elephants, Thai customs in Buddhism, the art of carving vegetable, Thai boxing or even a ride with a tuk-tuk. Anything deemed as typically Thai was there with advices for the tourist to experience all of this on his own.
TAT was obviously right: a broad-based destination image research study conducted across 14 countries provides clear pointers on ways to sharpen the image and message of the country’s upcoming “Thainess” tourism campaigns.
Approved at the TAT’s annual Action Plan meeting in July 2012, the “Thainess” campaigns will highlight unique selling propositions such as Thai boxing, Thai cuisine, Thai health & wellness, Thai culture and heritage and many others signs of the Kingdom’s identity. Thailand has indeed a broad range of products in each of these categories nationwide but many of them still needs to be fine-tuned from a marketing point of view to be sure of attracting an international audience.
The research study was designed to identify the “trigger points” that will convince the potential visitors to move from “looking” to “booking.”
The countries included Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, U.S., United Arab Emirates, Australia, China, South Korea, India, Russia, Germany, Sweden, and Italy. A total of 3,000 persons were surveyed including both first-time or repeat visitors. The study used secondary and primary data and both quantitative and qualitative surveys. Interviews conducted included a broad cross-section of stakeholders, including Thais and foreigners, working both in and out of the industry.
According to TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni, “the most important factor in the advertising message always has been the quality of the imagery. But with the many changes taking place these days, both the content and means of delivery of those images had to be re-examined within the context of our “Thainess” campaign strategies.”
He noted that some target groups felt attracted by a “story-telling” strategy. Others favoured a more static approach or responded to powerful images delivered via mobile devices. In all instances, the response differed depending on such factors as gender, age, location and the number of times the potential customers had visited Thailand.
“We found that some of the traditional perceptions of Thailand were still strong, such as those related to fun, excitement, good service and hospitality,” said Mr. Svetasreni. “This works well when trying to attract the family market, for example. Other images may need to be reinforced in other ways.”
He added, “Altogether, it has been an interesting and challenging exercise. We became much more aware of how the world is changing and the constant need to keep up with these changes in order to maintain visitor flows.”
Reaffirming the identity of Thailand in a campaign is a very positive evolution in the country’s tourism marketing. Across Asia, campaigns from NTOs tend to vastly promote the same things: beach holiday, exotic food, shopping or golf, just to name a few… To move to a more personal approach can only help reaffirming countries’ brand. However with a risk of over-commercializing some countries deeply rooted traditions. In Thailand, the Phita Khon Festival in Loei in Isaan – a kind of local carnival where villagers wear strange masks- is turning increasingly into a commercial trade fair. And even TAT Governor admits that some entertainments deemed as ‘authentic experiences of Thai culture’ are just mediocre tourist traps!
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
