BANGKOK, 6 September 2012 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) plans to add more budgets into its tourism stimulus scheme, with a goal to boost the number of European visitors to Thailand in the last quarter of this year.
Ms. Juthaporn Rerngronasa, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas, has announced that the TAT is preparing to launch sales promotion campaigns in the United Kingdom, Germany and the Scandinavian countries to persuade more people from there to visit Thailand. She indicated that slight declines in tourist number have been seen in these three markets due to the economic crisis.
For travel agencies that mainly cater to European customers, Ms. Juthaporn said the TAT will help add value to their travel packages by providing free rides on the BTS Skytrain and discounts for restaurants among others. Additionally, the TAT has instructed its offices in Europe to keep a close eye on the situation of each country in order to be able to adjust the marketing plans properly.
According to Ms. Juthaporn, the economic downturn in Europe has not much affected Thailand’s overall tourism industry as tourists are still visiting the country as usual. However, reports have suggested that a number of European travelers now tend to place their reservations only three months in advance, as opposed to six months previously. It is said that they want to wait for cheaper packages to arrive before making a decision.
Furthermore, the TAT Deputy Governor is certain that the Thai tourism industry will continue to grow steadily, with revenue from the Euro-zone market expected to increase by 7 percent and the number of European tourists to increase by 6 percent.
The overall tourism revenue is also expected to expand by 13 percent or a worth of 800 billion baht while the overall tourist number will likely increase by 8 percent, with a total of 20.5 million visitors.
