Tat Aims At 12 Million Visitors 2004

[george]

TAT aims at 12 million visitors

Target upped after good economic news

The outlook for Thailand's tourism industry next year looks promising to the point that the government has now set a lofty target _ 12 million arrivals, expected to generate 480 billion baht in revenue.

Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak yesterday announced the revised goal, which he said was achievable given the strong recovery of the global and domestic economy.

The latest indications are that international arrivals this year would be 9.6 million, down from 10.3 million, due to the impact of the global economic slowdown, the war in Iraq and the Sars outbreak.

Dr Somkid also told heads of overseas offices of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) who had gathered in Bangkok to focus on their particular markets and not become preoccupied with the big picture.

``The TAT management structure should be revamped to focus more deeply on certain markets,'' he said.

More importantly, the country should attract more high-end tourists to increase daily spending averages for individual visitors from 3,900 baht per day to at least 4,000 baht by next year.

To boost revenue, more products should be made available such as One Tambon, One Product goods, which will be showcased at the Otop City Fair later this month.

TAT governor Juthamas Siriwan suggested that to immediately increase tourism revenue, the airport tax could be raised from 500 to 600 baht per person.

The additional 100 baht from the 12-million-tourist target next year could be spent on developing attractions and facilities to attract more visitors, she said, adding that Singapore and Malaysia now charged the equivalent of about 650 baht in airport tax.

Although she said she was confident that the visitor target figure could be reached, one outstanding concern is the lack of aircraft capacity to Thailand.

Currently, Thailand has only 44,000 flights a year operating in and out of the country, while Singapore has almost 80,000.

For next year, the TAT has been allocated a total budget of 3.7 billion baht, of which 2.6 billion is for marketing and advertising. Mrs Juthamas said that to achieve targets, about one billion baht in additional funds for marketing activities may be needed next year.

The additional budget would be mainly spent in China, where another 400 million baht worth of mass advertising is needed to boost the number of tourists to Thailand from 800,000 this year to one million next year.

For Europe, the number of tourist arrivals next year is set to grow 6%, up from 2.7 million, a sluggish figure blamed on the persistent lack of airline seating capacity.

The US was also expected to become a main market for the TAT next year, as the number of American visitors to Thailand is expected to double from 350,000 this year.

``Instead of using the same old approach through travel agents, we will start making more connections with large corporations in the US to attract high-end visitors,'' said Mrs Juthamas.

She said that the theme for next year would be ``From Distance to Harmony'' with a sub-campaign of ``Thailand _ The Beginning of a Miracle Journey''.

An advertisement will be launched worldwide during TAT roadshows featuring From A Distance, by pop diva Bette Midler, as its theme song.

Vichit Na Ranong, chairman of the Tourism Council of Thailand, believed the 12-million-tourist target could be achieved if enough airlines stepped up flights into the Kingdom.

He called for more chartered flights from Asia and urged low-cost airlines in Thailand to extend their reach to include long-haul flights to European destinations. Mr Vichit added that it was essential for the public and private sectors to promote low-season travel among honeymooners and Mice visitors who are big spenders.

--Bangkok Post 2003-12-09

[george]

The Nation on the same topic:

Tourists back after slump

BANGKOK: Tourist arrivals in 2003 will fall short of last year's figure, but will rise to a record 11.75 million next year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said yesterday.

TAT governor Juthamas Siriwan told a press conference that the agency projected arrivals this year to reach only 9.95 million, less than the 10.03 million recorded in 2002.

Addressing the same conference, Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak told the TAT to target 12 million arrivals next year, saying an improvement in the world economy would be the main engine for the increase.

He also asked the TAT to work on raising the average daily spending by foreign tourists from Bt3,900 per day to more than Bt4,000 per person per day.

In addition, corporate customers should be also be focused on, he said, adding that the TAT might hire more staff to look after this market.

Somkid also asked the TAT to work with provincial governors to promote tourism in the provinces. He proposed organising a major event in each of the four regions - North, Northeast, South, and Central- to promote domestic tourism, an important part of the nation's industry.

The new events would help spur travel in the country in addition to the four major events currently: Chinese New Year, Songkran, Loy Krathong, and the New Year, he said.

Juthamas said a shortage of airline seats next year would prove to be an obstacle to achieving the target of 12 million tourist arrivals.

She said the TAT was planning a new marketing campaign to position Thailand as the heart of Indochina.

The agency has been given a budget of Bt2.6 billion for marketing in 2004 and will ask for an additional Bt1 billion in the middle of the 2004 fiscal year for similar purposes.

Juthamas proposed increasing the passenger tax at Bangkok International Airport to Bt600 from Bt500 as one way of increasing the average spending by foreign tourists in Thailand.

-- THE NATION 2003-12-09