Speech by Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn,
Governor of Tourism Authority of Thailand
At Thailand Networking Lunch, WTM 2015
2 November 2015, South Gallery Room 31 & 32, London, UK
Sawasdee khrap and good morning,
Your Excellency, Minister of Tourism and Sports
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
On behalf of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, I would like to thank you all for being with us today.
As the Minister has pointed out, I have just assumed my position as the Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. In these brief few weeks, I must say I am honoured to be entrusted in taking an important role in the travel and tourism industry in advancing the socio-economic development of Thailand, as well as the ASEAN and Asia-Pacific regions.
The WTM will provide me with a unique opportunity to learn more about this vibrant industry. I also look forward to meeting many of you in person.
Thai Tourism Situation
Distinguished guests,
Thailand and the UK have enjoyed long and fruitful relations dating back more than a century. With regard to our travel and tourism industry, visitors from the UK proved to be a bedrock in the early stages of its development in the 1970s.
As mentioned by the Minister, TAT has projected to receive 25.5 billion Pounds (1.4 trillion Baht) in revenue from 28.8 million international visitors this year. Thailand welcomed its 24 millionth visitor on 28 October 2015. The number is significant because it showed we are on course for another record-breaking year.
During January to September this year, European visitors generated about 4.9 billion Pounds (271 billion Baht) in revenue to the Thai tourism industry from nearly 4 million visitors. With this number, around 17 percent were UK tourists who generated 884 million Pounds (48.62 billion Baht) for Thailand.
In 2014, Thailand welcomed more than 871,000 UK visitors. Even more important, UK visitors had an average length of stay of roughly 17 days per person per visit, about double the 9.83-day average of all visitors to Thailand. It is also longer than the European average length of stay of 16 days. Their average daily expenditure was 75 Pounds (4,095 Baht) per person, up 3 percent from the previous year. This generated a total of about 1.1 billion Pounds (61 billion Baht) in foreign exchange revenue, or an increase of about 2 percent.
Today, I am proud to say that the UK is our second largest source of visitors as well as a quality market from Europe. This makes the UK market fit perfectly with the TAT’s strategy to be a quality leisure destination.
In order to develop our efficiency to further boost Thailand’s tourism industry, I have set my vision based on what I call the M.O.V.E. concept, comprising of the following:
M:Marketing & More: To promote, market and publicise a positive image of the country and the tourism industry in order to increase revenue through travel and tourism.
O:Operational Excellence: To develop a high performance organisation, which is recognised both at home and abroad.
V:Value Creation: To create an effective collaborative network amongst the public and private sector organisations both at home and abroad throughout the tourism value chains in order to add value and drive sustainable tourism.
E:Effectiveness: To develop a comprehensive strategy to manage crises and prevent problems related to tourism in Thailand, and boost the confidence and satisfaction levels of visitors.
Marketing Direction for Europe and the United Kingdom
I am pleased to report that arrivals from European markets are returning to normal this winter. There is enough direct airline capacity, and also significant amount of capacity by the Gulf airlines through their respective hubs. Although arrivals vary from one European country to another, the UK market has consistently performed well. Our team here, whom I am sure you all know, is constantly monitoring the pulse of the market to take advantage of new trends and tap emerging business potential.
Today, our London office is conducting various marketing activities via the trade, and backing them with various consumer campaigns. We have planned to do the partner-on-demand with many tour operators and travel agents as well as conduct various publicity channels including off and online media to target the consumer audience. For the pre-WTM 2015 tour, TAT held the Amazing Thailand Roadshow to the Nordics including Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm and during 27 to 29 October 2015.
Furthermore, the TAT London Office has prepared to organise the post-ITB roadshow in secondary markets in order to attract more first visitors from Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as the main source market, London, in order to capture more of the quality market.
We believe that in highly competitive markets, it is the travel trade which knows its customers best. Naturally, we work closely with them to ensure that we both meet our respective targets and objectives. So it’s a win-win partnership.
Niche markets
As part of our quality over quantity approach, we are focusing more on our marketing efforts at niche markets and specific customer segments. Among those we are prioritising include:
Luxury Travellers: Thailand has a lot of potential and variety in terms of upscale products and services to accommodate high-end tourists in all dimensions including the stylish boutiques or beachfront pool villas in Phuket or Ko Samui, which offers the unrivalled holiday experience, many fine-dining restaurants guaranteed by global awards, such as Gaggan and Nahm, as well as numerous high-class department stores like Central Embassy and EmQuartier with countless brand-name flagship stores. For luxury travel, there are well-equipped yachts and cruises in Phuket and Pattaya to accommodate the need of classy island hoppers.
Wedding and Honeymoon: Our Thainess touch is very much reflected in our hospitality services when it comes to your most important day – your wedding. Whether you want to have it on the beach, on an elephant or under the sea, we can do it all. As such, Thailand’s hotels in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and other destinations have the capability to arrange a memorable wedding of any size, and in any setting or theme you have dreamed for. As for honeymoons, our beautiful beach getaways and mountain resorts ensure a romantic holiday for every couple all year round.
Health and Wellness: The art of rejuvenation and healing, from organic spa therapies to traditional Thai massage, is an integral part of Thai culture. At either end of the wellness spectrum, you will find that our private hospitals are world-famous medical tourism magnets in themselves, with many prestigious American and European board doctors while there are many meditation sanctuaries located in peaceful spots around the country. This year, we have seen remarkable advancement in anti-aging care in Thailand, so that is an area you may want to keep an eye on for your clients.
Green Tourism: We will also retain a strong focus on catering to the continuing growing trend for green tourism, a holiday that compliments its environment and the local communities. These products include Community-Based Tourism (CBT) or numerous villages nationwide. This is the best way to help support our objective of wealth distribution. You can enjoy bird watching trips, eco-friendly diving, cycling tours and nature walks etc.
Thailand Academy
All of you are aware of the popularity of Thai food. We are also trying to enhance the popularity of Thai textiles as part of our “Discover Thainess” campaign and its emphasis on the people, culture and society. A special Thailand Academy project has been launched to promote Thai cultural heritage to the world.
Last April, TAT hosted leading fashion designers, fashion design students, bloggers and the press from the UK and eight other countries to a special ‘Thailand Academy III’ educational project to inspire them to promote the use of Thai textiles in the world’s fashion industry. The 36 fashion designers and students explored Thailand’s textile cultural routes in the North, Northeast and South.
As you are all aware, Thai silk is one of the kingdom’s most admired cultural treasures. We are hoping to see more fashion shows and designers making better use of the opportunities available to give it greater prominence.
In the WTM 2015, we have brought a weaving demonstration of ‘Phrae Wa’ cloth to you at the Thai Pavilion. This Thai fabric is acclaimed as ‘the Queen of Silk’ in Thailand from the famous Ban Phon weaving village in Kalasin, which received the Thailand Tourism Award in 2007 for the Most Outstanding Community-based Tourism Award. Those who are interested will also get a chance to join a workshop to make a Phrae Wa cloth keychain for themselves.
Discover Amazing Stories
Ladies and gentlemen,
This year, the Thai Pavilion bears the concept of “Discover Amazing Stories.” Thailand is full of such great stories. We believe that Thailand is truly an amazing place to stimulate ideas and creativity. The sheer diversity of tourist attractions, cuisine, culture, and way of life means that each time you return, you will continue to find new angles to narrate your story. Just take, for example, “The Amazing Story of Phat Thai,” our popular street food — there are hidden stories of interest in its history, ingredients, and the way to cook before Phat Thai became a popular recipe worldwide.
One of the best ways to personally discover these stories is to organize tours to our 12 Hidden Gems – a dozen provinces in various parts of the country we have highlighted as places worth exploring more. They are shown on the screen. In fact, this project has become so successful since the beginning of the year, we have added 12 more to make it the 12 Hidden Gems Plus. Each province features a fascinating cultural, natural, modern, or even culinary attribute that must be experienced up close.
Launching the New logo of “Amazing Thailand” with the Smile Picture
Distinguished guests,
We have often used the WTM as a platform to launch new tourism campaigns. This year, we are continuing that tradition by launching a new logo of the ‘Amazing Thailand’ campaign. This logo incorporates the attraction and appeal of that most well-known characteristic of Thailand – The Smile.
Ornate details of the traditional Thai Kanok pattern have been adjusted to create the ‘Smile’ symbol. It also represents friendship, enjoyment, happiness and hospitality. The letter ‘A’ in the word ‘Thailand’ has been re-designed to look like a pair of smiling eyes, which, when accompanied with the ‘Smile’ symbol, perfectly form a person’s smiling face. The colour schemes have also been specifically chosen to underpin the image of softness.
Along with the launch of the new logo, visitors can get the luggage tag screened with their picture and the new Amazing Thailand logo as a souvenir at the Thai Pavilion.
Moreover, I trust many of you have also noticed our prominent “London Bus Wrapping” with our new logo under the concept of ‘We Make You Smile’ in front of the ExCeL Hall, near the West Door. We are also delighting our guests with two things that every WTM trade visitor needs: A free cup of Doi Chang coffee, and a free brief Thai massage. If you have not already enjoyed both so far, please do take some time after this presentation to do so.
Conclusion
Ladies and gentlemen,
Once again, thank you for being with us today. We count the British and Europeans as good friends of Thailand. As I already mentioned, Thailand has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with the United Kingdom and Europe, and I am sure this will continue for many years into the future.
Thank you and sawasdee khrap.
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