The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced that it has many initiatives to promote Thailand throughout 2011.
‘Amazing Thailand’ will still be used to market the country and it will be boosted with the new tagline: ‘Always Amazes You’. This is to emphasise the countless aspects of Thailand and the Thai culture which are highly attractive to tourists from all over the world. The Amazing Thailand theme is incredibly popular and ensures that Thailand was promoted in a very positive way as a unique, memorable and exciting holiday destination for people of all ages.
Approximately 15.5 million tourists are expected to arrive from international destinations throughout 2011 which in turn will generate revenues of about 600 billion Baht (US$18.5 billion). This is an increase of 9% when compared year-on-year.
During 2011, the TAT plans to build on the country’s traditional strengths such as the beaches, trekking and culinary delights. The country will develop green and sustainable themes as well as branching out into social media and interactive activities for the next generation of travellers who are never far from a computer or the Internet.
The TAT’s marketing campaigns for 2011 will be highly visible across the world as it plans to make use of TV commercials, print advertising, online media and celebrity advertising. It will reach out to the younger generation through social media and networking with videos featuring on Youtube.com, designing e-brochures, setting up and number of social networking pages and offering updates to mobile phones. The Thailand Fanclub will be developed through the year, especially in Europe and the Middle East.
With the easing and stabilising of political tensions, foreign governments are lifting their travel warnings, once again letting Thailand’s strengths as a family and backpacker’s destination shine through.
Other boosts for 2011 include an improvement in the global economy, but especially in Asia. The airline industry is also helping as many airlines are adding new flights from key countries such as: Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and Vietnam.
The ‘Amazing Thailand – Always Amazes You’ campaign will focus on specific activities which are unique to Thailand such as shopping. The TAT plans to promote the country as one of the best places to shop in Asia with the intention of attracting keen shoppers from all around Asia and ultimately the world.
Golfing tours are incredibly popular and the TAT plans to build on this already successful sector. Thailand boasts hundreds of world-class golf courses and the ‘Amazing Thailand Golf Paradise’ campaign will market this fact as well as offering a number of new and improved golf packages. The ‘5 Asian Tigers Golf Tournament’ will be hosted by Thailand and will focus on the East Asian market.
Environmentally-conscious travel has grown enormously in popularity in recent years and as a result, the TAT plans to introduce the ‘Go Green, Go Thailand’ campaign. This will highlight the need for real eco-friendly tours.
All of these plans are sustainable and will boost tourism in the long-term as well as the short term. It is all part of a greater plan to improve Thailand’s position in the world rankings of tourist destinations.
