As the travel fervour stoked by the recently-concluded Chinese New Year cools down, leading one-stop travel platform Trip.com announces the return of its “Super World Trip BOSS Live” livestream show to Thailand, this time making a stop in the lively island of Phuket, as preparations for Songkran heat up across the Kingdom. The livestream session on 28 February, conducted in collaboration with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), will feature a smorgasbord of enticing deals encompassing flights, hotels, accommodations and tour packages to Thailand. These include top hotels in popular destinations, such as the livestream venue Katathani Phuket Beach Resort – which will be available at a discount of over 70% – as well as The Ritz-Carlton Koh Samui, the Meliá Chiang Mai, and more.
The upcoming livestream on 28 February will be the second hosted by Trip.com in Thailand this year, with the first session on 31 January achieving a total GMV of more than THB200 million. It will once again be hosted by Trip.com Group’s Vice President Ms Sun Tianxu, who has hosted more than 200 livestream sessions across more than 100 cities over the past four years. It will focus on Songkran-related deals, and comes hot on the heels of the popular Chinese New Year travel period, which saw 194,275 travellers from China visiting Thailand in the week of 5-11 February 2024 – the largest group of visitors from any country in that week. These numbers further entrench China as Thailand’s top source of tourists in the year to date, thanks to the visa-free travel policy enacted by the Thai authorities last September – which will be made permanent and mutual come 1 March.
With more Chinese travellers opting to head to Thailand thanks to the convenience of visa-free travel as well as the delectable cuisine and breathtaking landscapes, the Land of Smiles has seen 4.4 million tourists visit so far this year, a 48% spike compared with the same period last year. The government is aiming to hit 35 million visitors in 2024, with Chinese tourists projected to make up some 8 million – or more than one-fifth – of that target. Indeed, China has long been Thailand’s largest source country of tourists before the pandemic.
Ms Sun Tianxu, Vice President, Trip.com Group, said: “I am delighted to be back in Thailand to share some amazing deals with our Super World Trip BOSS Live viewers. Phuket was one of the top destinations for all our users in 2023, so it will be a chance for our livestream fans to take a look for themselves if they haven’t been here before. Trip.com Group is committed to promoting Thailand – with its idyllic beaches, warm people and rich culture – as an ideal destination for our users, and this second Super World Trip BOSS Live session in as many months is a testament to that. I look forward to showcasing Amazing Thailand to our many viewers once again.”
Since taking office, Thailand’s Prime Minister Mr Srettha Thavisin has introduced several measures to attract more visitors to the country, with Songkran being one example of the government’s “soft power” push, along with TAT’s “Thais Always Care” campaign which aims to emphasise the Kingdom’s hospitality and warmth to visitors.
Trip.com Group has also been promoting Thailand as a destination of choice across its various platforms, such as through its AI-powered lists “Trip.Trends”, “Trip.Best” and “Trip.Deals”, which curate information based on user preferences and real-time data to make recommendations to users. For example, with Songkran coming, more related activities and attractions may be recommended to users’ “Trip.Trends” lists when they are browsing Thailand-related products. Additionally, our users may also use TripGenie, an innovative AI travel assistant which helps users craft itineraries and plan their travels – all within the Trip.com app.
