Thailand is betting on India, as it is among the top 5 inbound markets for the Kingdom. The country welcomed more than 320,000 tourists from India between January – July 2022. To bolster tourism in Thailand, the Tourism Authority of Thailand successfully hosted the “Amazing Thailand Gala Dinner” on August 3, 2022, in Mumbai. H.E. Mr. Donnawit Poolsawat, Consul-General, Royal Thai, Mr. Tanes Petsuwan, Deputy Governor for Asia and South Pacific, Tourism Authority of Thailand, and delegates from Thailand graced the evening.
Also present at the event were Mr. Natapol Vanichkul , Team Lead Western & Middle East Area, Ms. Natpawee Rattanakat , Team Lead India – Representative in India from Thai Airways International, Mr. Arjun Dasgupta (VP Business Development) along with Mr. Anirban Ghosh (RGM West India), GO First and Ms. Tekla Maira, Regional Director of Sales- India, Banyan Tree Group, Mr. Jagdeep Bhatia, Property Sales Manager – New Delhi, Mr. Ashish Sharma, Oversea Property Sales Laguna Phuket
Thailand has set a target of 7-10 million international tourists and 160 million trips from the domestic market, with a revenue generation of 1.5 trillion Baht. In the seventh month of the year, international arrivals numbered 2.9 million.
The event promotes the “Visit Thailand Year 2022 – 2023: Amazing Thailand New Chapters” campaign and positions Thailand as a top tourist destination with all health and safety measures in place as the world exits the COVID-19 era. The focus is on putting responsible tourism into practice with all related bodies: travelers, communities, entrepreneurs, and suppliers, as well as promoting wellness and cultural tourism.
H.E. Mr. Donnawit Poolsawat, Consul-General, Royal Thai, mentioned, TAT hosted the Amazing Thailand Gala Dinner to express gratitude towards our travel trade partners, media, and friends of Thailand in India. With an emphasis on the “Visit Thailand Year 2022 – 2023: Amazing Thailand New Chapters” tourism marketing campaign”. He further added, “whatever challenges we face, we will always be the Land of Smiles. As we return to normality, I encourage you all to fill your hearts with optimism and remember there are millions of smiles still waiting for you in Thailand, and looking forward to welcoming you back to our Land of Smiles soon.”
Mr. Tanes Petsuwan, Deputy Governor for Asia and the South Pacific, Tourism Authority of Thailand opined, With ease in travel restrictions for foreigners entering Thailand, step by step approach of Thailand Government has yielded desired results and response has been really encouraging. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has been at the forefront of promoting sustainable tourism at both domestic and international levels. Some of the campaigns or activities we are working on are: The 7 Greens Concept has been initiated by TAT to encourage tourists and all parties in the tourism industry to take responsibility and join hands in creating a new environment-friendly future. “With ease in restrictions, commercial flights returning back to pre-covid schedules and willingness of Indians to travel to Thailand will surely make the path easier”
Attended by over 100 local tour operators, wedding planners, and members of the media in India, the Amazing Thailand Gala Dinner highlighted Thai cultural values based on Thailand’s 6F, 4M soft power foundations: namely, Food, Film, Fashion, Festival, Fight, Friendship, Music, Museum, Master, and Meta.
TAT will continue to use the “Visit Thailand Year 2022-2023: Amazing New Chapters” as the communication strategy for the international market and will continue to promote Thailand as a world-class destination that offers something for everyone under the ‘From A-Z: Amazing Thailand Has It All’ concept alongside the kingdom’s 5F, 4M soft-power foundations; namely, Food, Film, Fashion, Festival, Fight, Music, Museum, Master, and Meta.
In addition, collaborative partnerships will be formed and promoted between TAT and the airlines to help boost the international tourism business by increasing the air seating capacity in Thailand.
Targeted approach towards high-disposable income groups (Millennials, Gen-X, and Silver-Age People), hyper-personalization groups (health and wellness, sports tourism, and responsible tourism), and new segments (digital nomads and remote workers/teleworkers) will be the priority in upscaling the travel demand.
