Last year, Thailand welcomed close to 84.5 per cent leisure travellers from India. The growth was huge and the numbers helped the destination cross the 1 million mark of tourist arrivals from India. While leisure travel saw a rise, business and MICE travel too accounted for a total of 5.8 per cent and 5.2 per cent respectively, revealed Sethaphan Buddhani, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mumbai. The growth, he believes, will continue, despite the downturn of the Indian Rupee. Thailand’s aim for 2013 is to register 178,000 Indian arrivals.
“I don’t think that depreciating Rupee will really affect travel for Indians to Thailand. Far- away lands may see a dip but nearby destinations should not see a setback due to this. We are still confident of achieving our targets for the year and our belief is strengthened by seeing the surge in tourist arrivals as compared to last year. April this year, Thai Airways announced budgeted airline for Bangkok- Thai Smile, which is affordable for flyers,” Buddhani stated.
Providing an added advantage, Thailand has daily flights of Thai Airways from Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai. In addition, it sees 52 non-stop flights a week from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Gaya, Varanasi and Hyderabad.
In a bid to attract repeat Indian footfall, TAT set out the year with a focus on moving beyond Bangkok and Pattaya. “Indian tourists have already explored these two regions and we want them to experience more than just that. Thailand is a country full of hidden treasures and surprises, many destinations within Thailand have new activities and attractions to offer, which is what we have been promoting through the year. Regions such as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Khao Yai, Trang, Koh Samui, Koh Samet, Ayutthaya and Phuket are being promoted and talked about with the trade and with the media. From cultural experiences to food, shopping and adventure activities are all available in these regions,” he added.
TAT holds high regard for the travel trade as partners to increase visibility in the Indian market. The travel trade industry, Buddhani opined, is TAT’s bloodline. “Most of the Indians even today feel comfortable to go through a travel agent while travelling abroad. They listen to the advice of the travel agent and in most cases the agent also influences on which destination to go to. Thus it is important our agents are educated about the destination and believe in it as we do. We have conducted destination trainings, road shows, offers on bookings, online training modules, certification courses and a lot more is in the pipeline,” he revealed.
