DRMumbai: Thailand is one of the destinations that is present in the check-list or wish list of every outbound Indian traveler. Alongside the breathtaking coastline, gorgeous nightlife, shopping locations; there are several factors that help them decide, such as- travel time, distance from India, connectivity, flexible visa policy, availability of Indian food and exotic places to visit. However, in recent years, India as a travel market has undergone remarkable changes. Additionally, the travelers are far more evolved as they are seeking to make their vacation an experience and not just a holiday. To make the most of this transformation, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has restructured its strategy to position Thailand as a desirable destination by introducing a campaign, ‘Open to the New Shades’. The objective was not only to drive more Indian arrivals but also to ensure repeat visitors to Thailand by offering them an array of offbeat activities, adventures and lesser seen regions.
In order to convert the set campaign goals, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) left no stone unturned through aggressive marketing, sales, promotions and media outreach. The focus areas being aspects such as women travel, solo travel, fitness, luxury and wellness, family time, fun activities for kids, exotic weddings, adventurous activities, sustainable tourism and emerging destinations. The year witnessed successful collaborations with leading chefs, bloggers, influencers, select travel writers, digital portals, radio stations and also Bollywood celebrities.
One of TAT’s key targets has been to entice more women travelers through constant communication and planned efforts. TAT organized ‘Travel Fest’ with Women Chamber of Commerce and also associated with Holiday IQ during the month of November and December respectively to establish Thailand as a safe country for women and solo travelers. Basis the participant’s views and feedbacks, TAT further charted out measures to ensure that women travelers choose Thailand for their next girl’s getaway.
In order to foray into the luxury and wellness market and expand its reach among HNIs, TAT commenced the year by partnering with Asia Spa magazine to organize ‘Wellfest 2019’ to promote Thailand as a destination ideal to explore wellness and luxury. The festival witnessed footfalls of a well-known fitness and health enthusiast and also acted as a platform for influencers to talk about the various facets that Thailand has in store. TAT also associated with fitness community, ‘FitZup’ wherein it hosted prominent TV celebrities – Kishwer Merchant, Helly Shah and Vishal Singh along with trainer, Sahil Rasheed. As a part of the activity, ‘Fitness Fiesta in Phuket’ the celebrities experienced an adrenaline rush like never before while they participated in Muay Thai boxing, zip-lining, trekking, island hopping. To further balance the rigorous workouts, TAT treated them with some relaxing spas and detox diet along with some unmatched fun. Not just this, TAT also collaborated with Spa magazine for a cover shoot opportunity with desi diva, ‘Shilpa Shetty’ on the island of Koh Samui to promote it as a must-visit for every health freak traveler.
The primary concern of most Indian travelers is food and with a whopping population of veg-eaterians, TAT realized the need to communicate more about its food offerings. Acting on the thought, TAT joined hands with celebrity master-chef Vicky Ratnani to shoot his culinary web series ‘Vicky the Gastronaut’s third season. The episodes were released later in the year which showcased Chef Vicky’s journey in discovering the Northern regions of Thailand that boast of the beautiful mountains, Lanna culture, art and of course, some mouthwatering food. It was further amplified on TAT’s social media through exciting contests and shout-outs. On similar lines, TAT also hosted a master class in Mumbai with a renowned Thai Chef, Phanuphon Bulsuwan, from Chiang Mai by inviting food bloggers, food critics, delegates and other business associates. The class was conducted by Chef Black with close to 25 participants wherein they learned different Thai dishes in both veg and non-veg options with ingredients from Thailand. It was a great opportunity for engaging directly with stakeholders and influencers to promote the variety of Thai food and provide a glimpse of rich Thai culture.
Alongside reaching out to potential travelers exploring luxury, fitness and food, TAT also made conscious efforts to reach out to the millennials based in key metro cities and also tier II cities of India through digital amplification. TAT went all out to tie up with travel portals such as Tripoto and Thrillophilia and Times Internet to promote the off-beat destinations such as Ayutthaya, Chantaburi, Kanchanaburi, Khao Yai, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son and islands in the south. Through these partnerships, TAT endorsed new activities, unseen places, newly drafted itineraries and an array of options to explore Thailand differently. TAT also collaborated with mountain trekker, Varun Vagish to promote the relatively new attractions in Ko Pha Ngan apart from the full moon party.
The tourism board also ran campaigns on television channels, radio stations (Bangalore, Mumbai, Ahmadabad) and boosted it further on digital platforms such as Hotstar, V-serv, Inshorts, YouTube etc. Last but not the least, TAT conducted Phuket roadshows in the month of January in Mumbai and Bangalore and later ‘Amazing Thailand’ roadshows in Ahmadabad and Pune. The purpose of organizing the same was majorly direct engagement and networking with buyers and introducing them to these different shades of the country. Lastly, TAT being an ASEAN Member country spearheaded the ASEAN Promotion Chapter for Tourism India (APCT) and associated with Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, to organize ASEAN India Film Festival by screening 12 films from 7 ASEAN countries along with the cultural performance and exhibition to show all regions.
Through all these extensive efforts, TAT will continue its spree in reaching out to every wishful traveler in India and expanding its base across cities. This will assist in enticing more outbound travelers to visit Thailand and soon upgrade the position of India as a primary source market to the top five’s list.
