Ten New Delhi travel agents toured Pattaya, seeing for themselves that Thailand’s flooding crisis has not affected one of the hottest holiday destinations for Indians.
Pinki Arora, the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s representative for Northeast India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, hosted the tour industry meeting Dec. 3 at the Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa. After getting a briefing about the floods and the impact on Pattaya, the agents toured local hotels, visited tourist attractions and shopping centers.
“There is no crisis, as is the common perception at home,” said Manheer Singh Sethi, head of Holidays by Sahibji. “I am not afraid and there are no diseases. After the Indian agencies have inspected the area, they will return to invite Indians to vacation in Thailand in 2012 and hopefully will focus on luxury hotels.”
The Indians got a taste of some of the city’s best hotels, including the five-star Centara Grand Mirage Resort Pattaya. They also saw Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, the Alangkarn Theatre and Walking Street.
The marketing strategy was to place importance on helping agencies create good relationships with customers in India. The emphasis was placed on mid- to upper-end hotels and showing Pattaya as an ideal destination for Indian weddings.
“We would like to promote destinations such as Centara Grand, Nova Platinum Hotel and Dusit Thani Hotel, focusing on relaxing activities, ocean sports, weddings and restaurants,” Pinki said.
She said obstacles to Indian tourism have been visas, airline schedules and language. The city plans to increase the amount of tourist information available in Hindi.
