The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently conducted a roadshow across India that showcased the Luxury Hotels of the country. Speaking at the Mumbai event, Lubaina Sheerazi, Head, Blue Square Consultants, the Marketing and PR arm of TAT, stated that the destination had noticed a large chunk of Indians looking for leisure, which led them to focus on the segment this year. Furthermore, the country aims to promote lesser known destinations to the Indian travellers as 60 per cent of the footfall comprises of repeat visitors.
Speaking on the sidelines of the roadshow, Sethaphan Buddhani, Director, TAT – Mumbai Office revealed that between January and August 2013, Thailand welcomed 7.63 lakh Indians, and aims to achieve the 10 lakh figure this year. He further added that Thailand has seen no impact of the Rupee fluctuation, which made it the best time to showcase the luxury segment. “Indians who are now unable to travel to Europe due to the exchange rate, are turning to Thailand instead with a similar luxury holiday in mind,” he said.
He further added that, over time, the tier II markets in India have gained importance, nad TAT is therefore focusing on training agents in these cities as well. “46 per cent of our traffic still comes from Mumbai and Pune, but other cities are also gaining steam. Ahmedabad is a big market for weddings, while Bengaluru is huge for incentive groups,” he added.
According to Buddhani, TAT plans to showcase culture next year, including food, Thai boxing, sustainable tourism etc.
