Big-spending women become top tourism target
THAILAND needs more female tourists – particularly from Japan and India - as they usually spend more than male travellers, according to Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, the Minister of Tourism and Sports.
“Currently, female Japanese tourists represent 30 per cent of total arrivals. We should increase the portion to half, or more than 600,000 in the future,” Kobkarn said.
India is becoming an emergent source market for female travellers. They present a huge opportunity for Thailand.
“In general, female travellers spend over 15 per cent more than males do. If we can secure more female tourists it would help drive [our] entire tourism,” Kobkarn added.
The rise of female tourists is seen as partly attribute to greater opportunities for women in general.
Economic empowerment increases women’s access to economic resources and opportunities including jobs, financial services, property and other productive assets, skills development and market information.
“Women’s economic participation and empowerment are fundamental to strengthening women’s rights and enabling women to have control over their lives and exert influence in society. It is about creating just and equitable societies,” Kobkarn said.
She said women often face discrimination and persistent gender inequalities, with some women experiencing multiple discrimination and exclusion because of factors such as ethnicity or caste.
She said that tourism and sports would help empower women tourists around the world.
The economic empowerment of women is a prerequisite for sustainable development, pro-poor growth and the achievement of all the Millennium Development Goals.
Gender equality and empowered women are catalysts for multiplying development efforts. Investments in gender equality yield the highest returns of all development investment.
Women usually invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communication than men.
A study showed that the likelihood of a child’s survival increased by 20 per cent when the mother controlled household income. Increasing the role of women in the economy is part of the solution to the financial and economic crises and critical for economic resilience and growth.
In Thailand, the rapid and uneven economic growth masks socio-economic inequalities, a widening income gap between urban and rural areas, and unequal access to resource and social services. Some women’s group, such as Muslim women in the deep South, the hill tribe women in the North, HIV positive women, women with disabilities and migrant workers, still face discrimination and rights violation.
The roles of women in Thailand’s national development have not yet been fully established. Factors that affect women’s participation in the socio-economic field include inadequate gender awareness in the policy and planning process, social stereotyping, structural barriers, cultural impediments, lower educational attainment, lower socio-economic status, and power sharing issues with the opposite sex.
