TDME talks to Wisoot Buachoom, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)
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Could you elaborate on the statistics for the Middle East market?
The Middle East is a very important market for Thailand both in terms of number of tourists and quality of tourist. In 2011, Thailand received around 19 million international tourists. Our initial target was 20 million but dues to untoward incidents we managed to reach 19 million. This by itself is a 20% increase from 2010. Focusing on the Middle East region alone, in 2011, we received 476,000 tourists. Among the number of ME tourist, 100,000 were from the UAE, which is an overall 3% growth over 2010.
What is TAT’s channel strategy for the Middle East market?
We have used most medium to promote the destination in the region. We work closely with both the consumer and trade. Our activities for both mediums include joint promotions, familiarization trips among others. We also work closely with the airline – Etihad and Emirates. In the coming months, we also look to work more actively with our partners and alliances to promote the destination. In order to promote the minor destination, we will be conducting more familiarisation trips for the both the media and trade. Come summer, we plan to have special promotions during Ramadan with Etihad. This would be during and after the holy month alongside many other activities planned out.
Could you elaborate on TAT’s plan to promote secondary destinations?
Thailand is a well-known destination in this region but we want the Middle East traveller to go beyond the regular. The regular destinations are Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya but there are new destinations like Chiang Mai which have a lot of potential. Even within the regular Bangkok, there are unseen parts such as Khao Yai National Park which is filled with activities such as wineries, wildlife sanctuary and even luxury resorts resort and hotels nearby. Then there is Kanchanaburi known for its famous locales such as the world war bridge and adventure activities such as rafting. This works well with European tourists. These getaways can be combined with Bangkok and Phuket.
There are also many islands in and around Phuket like Phi Phi and Krabi and many more islands. People in the region are not aware of these attractions. There is also Chiang Mai in upper north of Thailand which offers tourist a more cultural aspect of Thailand like a lot of nature and local handicrafts.
What are the other focus segments for TAT?
We see a lot of potential in the medical tourism segment. In this regard, we are working with Etihad to actively target and promote this offering in the region. From our records, we do quite a few Middle East travellers who visit Bangkok for medical reasons and want to augment those numbers.
As per statistics, the wellness segment which also includes medical witnesses around 5 million tourist both domestic and international. However, this would be just the use of spas which is around 35%. It is indeed a potential and growing segment. Going forward, this would be another focus area.
How do you see this Middle East market growing?
The Middle East travellers are quality tourists who spend around an average of 10 days in Thailand. We would like to see this increase but our target in terms of tourist number would be around 3-5% over 2011. Our key markets from this region in terms of ranking are Iran, UAE, Oman, Kuwait and Egypt. We want to build on these markets and enhance our offerings.