Destination Thailand
Experiences under spotlight
Thailand takes secondary destinations route to draw European travellers. By Chadamas Chinmaneevong
P
romoting secondary provinces
will be a key strategy that in-
bound players in Thailand will
undertake to attract the Euro-
pean market – particularly the repeat
segment – as economic uncertainty and
Brexit are likely to dampen European
market sentiment this year.
Srisuda Wanapinyosak, Tourism Au-
thority of Thailand’s (TAT) deputy gov-
ernor for European, African, the Middle
East and American markets, expects 2019
to be another tough year for the European
market, as the struggling Eurozone econ-
omy, as well as Brexit, are likely to impact
the travel plans of tourists, particularly in
the UK and France.
As of December 10, 2018, tourist ar-
rivals from the UK to Thailand decreased
by 1.2 per cent year-on-year to around
905,000 visitors while France grew only
one per cent to about 697,000 visitors.
TAT hence hopes to maintain arrivals
from both markets at the same level for
2019, but sees potential for Germany to
grow to one millon visitors by 2020, up
from 850,000 arrivals projected for 2018.
For the same period, arrivals from Italy
and Germany climbed by about four per-
cent year-on-year to around 249,771 and
814,000 visitors respectively.
Supawan Tanomkieatipume, president
of Thai Hotels Association (THA), also
expressed concerns that Brexit and Eu-
rope’s economic uncertainty would im-
pact not only the UK, but other key mar-
ket sources including Germany.
“If the economic problem persists
throughout 2019, European travellers will
cut their travel spending,” said Supawan.
The length of stay of senior European
travellers, a core segment, is likely to re-
duce from two weeks to only one week,
she projected.
Promoting new destinations is hence
necessary to extend the length of stay
Lesser-known destinations like Chiang Khan, in Thailand’s north-eastern Loei province, await travellers’ discovery
of European visitors in Thailand, while
improving the country’s tourism image
by addressing safety and security issues
would help to bring more families, Su-
pawan noted.
As repeat travellers make up a key seg-
ment, industry players see the need for
Thailand to expand the diversity of value-
for-money tourism attractions, and at
the same time meet European travellers’
rising demand for local experiences and
engagement with communities.
Srisuda said TAT is promoting undis-
covered destinations to European trav-
ellers by matching potential secondary
provinces to suit individual markets. For
example, Phrae is marketed for France,
Mae Hong Son for the UK, and Nakhon Si
Thammarat for Germany, she cited.
Meanwhile, TAT is positioning Chum-
phon and Ranong provinces as spring-
board destinations to Myanmar; Loei and
Nan for the same purpose to Laos; and
Chanthaburi and Trat to Cambodia.
Seeing merit in TAT’s secondary desti-
nations approach for the European mar-
ket, Surapon Vutivakinsakul, product
manager of Asian Trails, remarked that
European travellers are now seeking to
immerse in local experiences and activi-
ties with local communities.
As more travellers turn to OTAs for
bookings, traditional travel agents needed
to create more interesting products which
are not available via OTAs or on their own.
Local experiences and cultures will make
interesting tour programmes, pointed out
Surapon, as he expects community-based
tourism will be a key highlight in 2019.
Potential secondary provinces as Lam-
pang, Loei and Nan will make fresh des-
tinations for European travellers, he sug-
gested.
While the senior segment of the Eu-
ropean market has long formed a staple
visitor source for Thailand, Surapon also
noted that tour operators are increasingly
focusing on the millennials because this
generation starts to travel at the age of 20,
and are keen to spend on new travel ex-
periences.
What’s new
Devasom Khao Lak Beach Resort &
Villas
The luxury boutique seaside resort offers
a total of 69 keys – 24 Seaside Grand
Deluxe rooms, 21 Seaside Junior Suite
with Jacuzzi bath rooms, 12 Seaside Pool
Paradise Suite rooms, eight Beach Pool
Villas, two Two-bedroom Beachfront Fam-
ily Pool Villas, and two Devasom Sky Villas.
There are two F&B options for guests:
the all-day dining Takola Restaurant and
Wine Cellar, and the Devasom Beach Grill
and Bar. Recreational facilities include a
spa, complimentary yoga and meditation
sessions, a two-tier saltwater swimming
pool, gym, children’s pool and kids’ club.
Mahanakhon SkyWalk
King Power Mahanakhon has opened the
Mahanakhon SkyWalk, Thailand’s highest
observation deck located on the 74 th , 75 th
and 78 th floors of one of the city’s tallest
buildings.
Visitors will be whizzed from the lobby
to the sky-high observatory on the 74 th floor,
the indoor observation deck offering 360-de-
gree panoramic views, in 50 seconds. On
the 78 th floor sit the rooftop area and outdoor
observation deck with a glass tray floor, as
well as Bangkok’s highest viewpoint at 314m
above the ground. Also, the 78 th floor will
house Thailand’s highest rooftop bar.
Iconsiam
Iconsiam’s opening in Bangkok on November
9 marks the arrival of a mega mixed develop-
ment. Offering 750,000m 2 in gross floor
area, the US$1.6 billion waterfront project
is expected to inject a buzz onto Bangkok’s
retail and attractions scene, housing South-
east Asia’s longest multimedia water feature,
SookSiam, the region’s first Mandarin Orien-
tal branded residences, plus a convention hall
and museum opening mid-2019.
Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit
Hyatt’s latest opening in the Thai capital is part
of a 31-storey mixed-use development. The
From left: Devasom Khao Lak Beach Resort & Villas; Mahanakhon SkyWalk in Bangkok
hotel is connected to the Bangkok’s Nana BTS
skytrain station via a sky bridge. There are 273
guestrooms, including 21 suites, starting with
sizes from 35m 2 . In addition to three dining
outlets, recreational facilities – all on the sixth
floor – include an outdoor swimming pool, a
steam room and a 24-hour gym. For functions,
the hotel boasts more than 1,300m 2 of meeting
space from the Regency Ballroom that can hold
850 guests, to a boardroom for 24 people.
Cape Fahn
Cape & Kantary Hotels has opened its new
property, Cape Fahn, on a private island close