Your Stories Never End’ campaign, ET TravelWorld

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) highlighted its latest marketing communication concept, Amazing Thailand: Your Stories Never End, at the Thailand Product Update for buyers and attendees at this year’s Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+) 2024. The dynamic theme shines a spotlight on Thailand’s direction towards delivering meaningful travel experiences.

TAT highlighted the new marketing communication concept and showcased Thailand’s diverse tourism offerings, focusing on delivering meaningful travel experiences that would create a lifetime memory. Highlights range from luxury, wellness, soft adventure, and sustainable tourism.

Last year, Thailand recorded over 28 million international arrivals and a revenue of 1.2 trillion Baht. The top five markets were Malaysia, China, South Korea, India, and Russia. This year, from January 1 to May 31, Thailand has welcomed over 14.76 million international arrivals, generating more than 682 billion Baht in revenue. The top five markets are China, Malaysia, Russia, India, and South Korea.

TAT has set a tourism revenue target of 3 trillion Baht for this year. This constitutes 1.92 trillion Baht from 35 million international arrivals and 1.08 trillion Baht from 200 million domestic trips.

Talking about TTM+ 2024, Sermsak Pongpanit, Minister of Tourism and Sports at the opening ceremony said, “The Thailand Travel Mart Plus, organised in line with the government’s “IGNITE Thailand” vision, has played a crucial role as a premier showcase of Thai tourism. I am confident that this year’s event will further affirm its well-earned recognition as a must-attend B2B tradeshow that provides a valuable business platform for sellers and buyers.”

The TTM+ 2024 registered a strong turnout, with a record number of buyers: 425, which constitutes 55.5 per cent returning buyers and 44.5 per cent new ones. They are from East Asia (30.4 per cent), Europe (25.2 per cent), ASEAN, South Asia and the South Pacific (20.9 per cent), the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East (11.3 per cent), as well as Thailand (12.2 per cent).

Young Indians drive surge in travel to Thailand, 80% bookings by Gen Z & millennials

According to Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports, India is the fifth largest inbound market for Thailand. This growth is attributed to the Thai government’s visa-free policy, recently extended until November 11, 2024, and the availability of various non-stop daily flights. Indian travellers show a strong preference for beach and city getaways.

The TTM+ annually showcases unique tourism-related products. This year, the event presents four diverse tourism experiences in Phang-Nga. These include ‘Try & Taste’ – a selection of delicious coffees and teas from various regions such as Thai-Style coffee from Kopi Kuapa and organic tea from Sawanbondin; ‘Showcase’ – unveiling the secrets behind local crafts like those from Morgan Village and Batik from Takuapa; ‘Local Product’ – presenting authentic local dishes and fresh fruits; and ‘Unleash’ – DIY activities on batik painting or beadwork workshops.

Reflecting on the event’s theme, the half-day pre-tours presented hidden gems of Phang-Nga, while the post-tours were crafted to allow participants to create never-ending stories in other parts of Thailand such as Phuket, Krabi and Ko Samui in the south and Chiang Mai and Lamphun in the north.

The zero waste to landfills initiative
TAT continues to prioritise the effort to minimise the environmental impact of waste generated from the event. Actions include properly sorting waste into organic, recyclable, and general waste categories and sending them to appropriate destinations for further management. This is aimed to help reduce waste sent to landfills, following the Zero Landfills concept in the “Reduce World Mess: Zero Landfills” activity.

World-class event hub
The government is promoting Thailand as a centre of world-class events, leveraging the host country’s status for various upcoming global events. These include the Summer Sonic Bangkok, from 24-25 August; OR Thailand Grand Prix (Moto GP), from 25-27 October in Buri Ram; Loi Krathong Festival on 15 November; Vijit Chao Phraya 2024 in November; and Amazing Thailand Marathon Bangkok 2024 on 1 December.