The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has set a bold target for 2020 – it’s aiming to boost tourism revenue by 10% above this year’s projected total and to move the Thai tourism industry out of mass tourism and towards responsible tourism.
The emphasis from now on will be on encouraging quality tourists, the sort that generate revenue, TAT has made clear as it gears up to mark its 60th anniversary in 2020.
TAT reaffirmed its commitment to making travel and tourism “the kingdom’s most economically promising, environmentally sustainable, and culturally vibrant sector in the years to come”.
Addressing the Thai tourism private sector and media after the week-long Tourism Action Plan meetings, TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said it was time to reflect on past achievements and to carefully manage new challenges set to emerge in a highly competitive and constantly changing global and regional environment.
“With the positive outcome in 2018, Thai tourism has clearly succeeded in fulfilling its mandate,” he said. “We will work even harder to maintain our brand image, preserve our competitive advantages and ensure that the socio-economic benefits of international and domestic tourism are spread right across the country.”
For foreign markets such as Australia, TAT will focus on specific quality sectors and middle-upper income groups. The approach is called Go High. It will seek first-time visitors in new markets and in longstanding source markets like Australia, an approach called Go New Customer. It will also attempt to balance out the seasonality factor and generate more demand in the “Green Season” (Go Low). The “Green Season”, July to October, is also known as the rainy season.
Products to be developed and marketed include homestays, walking streets and local cuisine (Go Local). Meanwhile, digital technology will be devised to reach customers (Go Digital).
Thailand’s core communication marketing theme will be “Open to the New Shades”. New advertising campaigns will aim at specific target groups and highlight the friendliness and hospitality of the Thai people.
Edited by Peter Needham
