TTM+2012 helps Thailand to achieve its 2012 tourism targets

Customised travel experiences and nice markets are the bread and butter of Thai tourism over the next years, according to Juttaporn Rerngronasa, Deputy Governor Europe, Americas, Africa and Middle-East…

BANGKOK- Instead of having a geographic approach, Thailand Travel Mart 2012 had dedicated four areas aiming at niche markets– Wellness and Health; Honeymoons and Weddings; Golf tourism and Eco-Tourism. This approach heralds a new thinking within TAT. “We are looking more than ever at bringing high-spending travelers coming to really experience our ‘Thainess’, our way of life”, explained Juttaporn Rerngronasa, Deputy Governor Europe, Americas, Africa and Middle-East during an exclusive interview with TravelDailyNews Asia-Pacific (see the online video for the complete interview). Also TAT expects to see total foreign arrivals growing to 20.5 million travellers, the tourism agency wants to reposition the country by focusing on niche markets, Online applications launched by TAT earlier this year are now tailored-made according to tourists wishes.

TTM+2012 was then the right place to learn about all the latest trends in the Thai tourism industry. Over 473 buyers from 60 countries across the globe met with 381 sellers who are offering Thai tourism products & services in 12 categories. This year’s event is based on the theme “Customize your experience in Thailand” to encourage tour operators to offer their customers, both group travellers and free independent travellers (FITs), the opportunity to enjoy itineraries that are tailored to their specific interests when visiting Thailand. “The weddings and honeymoons category alone offers tremendous opportunities for Thai tourism operators – at present, India, Korea, Japan, France, USA and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are rapidly-growing source markets for those who want to get married or celebrate their union in Thailand,” indicated the Deputy Governor. The tourism agency is also looking to promote new areas in Thailand. “We evaluate destinations which were until now better known from domestic travellers. I believe that destinations such as Trang in the South, Nan and Lampang in the North offer already all facilities to international visitors,” told Mrs Rerngronasa.

Thanks to the fact that Thailand offers an enormous variety of products and services that cater to all categories of target markets, travelers’ interests, ages and income levels. “We continue also to focus on the fact that Thailand continues to be value for money. This is particularly important in a core market such as Western Europe, where the crisis is dampening the demand,” said Juttaporn Rerngronasa. During the first quarter 2012, Europe continued to show healthy growth rates, up on average by 7.5% over the same period of 2011.

From January to March 2012, Thailand welcomed 5.68 million international tourist arrivals. This is a 7.13% increase compared to the same period last year. In April 2012, the number of international arrivals at Phuket Airport grew by 15% while arrivals at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport grew by 7.2% compared to the same period in 2011. During the first half of May 2012, the number of tourist arrivals at Suvarnabhumi Airport was up by 10.71% over the same period last year.

The top five markets for international tourist arrivals during the first quarter of 2012 were Malaysia (577,207 arrivals), China (561,083), Russia (408,420), Japan (339,788) and Korea (305,206). Visitor arrivals from the four Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries totalled 463,468, up 18.48% over the same period of 2011. Laos PDR topped the list with 238,114 arrivals (+18.64%), followed by Vietnam with 135,055 arrivals (+26.33%), Cambodia with 59,998 arrivals (+5.67%) and Myanmar with 30,301 arrivals (+13.07%).

“With events such as TTM+2012 encouraging an increase in the number of international tourist arrivals by highlighting all that Thailand has to offer, revenue growth from international tourists should show a 9% increase compared to last year. This will help the Thai tourism sector to meet the revenue generation target of THB 766 billion baht (close to US$ 25 billion) – an important contribution to the country’s economy,” added Deputy Governor Juttaporn.

The annual TTM+ event, which also highlight’s Thailand’s role as a travel hub for the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), will play an increasingly important role as the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), which will come into effect in 2015, approaches. One of Thailand’s major advantages is its geographical location at the heart of Southeast Asia. The trade and services liberalisation that will come with the AEC will boost people movements through and within the 10-member ASEAN grouping. In terms of travel to the GMS countries, the recent opening up of Myanmar will also benefit Thailand due to the two countries’ close connections by air, land and sea. ASEAN is now moving quicker forward with the approval by ASEAN NTOs’ Tourism Marketing and Communication Working Group of a new marketing strategy.

“Discover the Other You” is the new promotional campaign of Thailand. Watch the relevant video and share with us your opinion:

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Luc Citrinot

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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.