Thai tourism operators target more arrivals from India

Thai tourism business operators hope to expand the Indian tourist market in the post-Covid-19 era to ensure more balance in market diversity and reduce excessive dependence on the Chinese market.

According to a report by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, before the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, a total of 1,961,069 Indians visited Thailand, generating revenue of over 80 billion baht.

The Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) has implemented a project to help Thai tourism operators design their marketing campaigns to attract more foreign tourists by analysing foreign tourists' behaviour, especially those from India, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom.

A survey and in-depth interviews conducted on the target group of Indian tourists showed Indians looking for these features in their foreign trips: memorable experience, spending quality time with family, enjoyable, relaxed and stress-free vacation, learning and discovering new things, good value for money and general personal safety.

The top three platforms used by Indian travellers during their trips to Thailand were: Google/Yahoo, Facebook, and Google Maps.

Thai tourism business operators utilised these channels to effectively communicate and provide access to their tourism products.

Another interesting aspect is the impact influencers have on Indian visitors' decision to visit Thailand.

The 10 leading influencers were: 1.TAT New Delhi; 2. Friends; 3. Bhuvan Bam; 4. Sharanya IYER; 5. Dmc’s; 6. Danal sae-ou; 7. Blue rain tours; 8. Kanlayakorn Dedkard; 9. hungry cruisers; 10. Visit Kashmir.

As for the profile of most Indian visitors to Thailand, the target group belongs to the millennial generation, aged between 28 and 42 years old. They are considered a new generation that seeks freedom, enjoyment and memorable experiences for their families.

In terms of overall activities and travel preferences in Thailand, families focus on engaging in activities together, ensuring the safety of young children, or seeking family-friendly tourist destinations. Young Indian couples come to Thailand to find wedding venues with scenic natural environments at relatively lower costs than in India.

Health and wellness travellers consist mainly of female groups, or couples seeking beauty and skin care enhancement services provided in Thailand. Experience-oriented tourists aim to explore new horizons and seek novelty for themselves.

The perception of Thailand among Indian tourists is that it is seen as a good value and convenient destination. Activities popular among Indians coming to Thailand include night excursions, relaxation, shopping, and beach visits. The preferred destinations for Indian tourists are Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, and Krabi.

According to Thanet Phetsuwan, deputy director of marketing for Asia and the Pacific, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Thailand still heavily depends on short-term foreign tourists this year. As of early this year, it is projected that there will be a significant increase in Indian tourists, with more than 60% of tourists coming from the Asian and South Pacific markets.

TAT estimates that more than 1 million Indian tourists will visit Thailand this year.

TAT data showed Thailand welcomed 8,596,452 foreign visitors during the first four months of this year. Among them, India ranks in the top 5 nations sending the highest number of visitors to Thailand. Malaysia tops the list with 1,270,151 visitors, followed by China with 845,617, Russia with 682,168, and South Korea with 536,257, while 452,117 Indians visited Thailand.