The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TTA) held an Amazing Thailand/TJTA Update Seminar on February 21.
Mr. Toshinobu Matsuura, Chairman of the Thai-Japan Travel Agents Association (TJTA), who took the podium at the beginning of the seminar, mentioned that the status of the new coronas will be moved to category 5 under the Infectious Diseases Act on May 8, and said, “Once the waterfront measures are removed, overseas travel is expected to become more accessible. Toward that end, we in Thailand are updating information on a daily basis, and today I would like to provide information that is not available online from TJTA members,” he said.
At the seminar, Mr. Yoshiaki Fujimura, Marketing Manager, Tourism Authority of Thailand Tokyo Office, began by explaining the Japanese market situation: 1,115,026 foreigners visited Thailand in 2022, of which 291,146 were from Japan. He said that the number of Japanese is recovering steadily, but the number is about half that of South Korea, where the number of travelers is recovering at a faster pace. The number of Japanese visitors is expected to recover by about 50% in 2023, compared to 1,806,340 in 2019, Fujimura said.
In 2023, the company plans to target business travelers, senior long stays, families, couples, solo travelers, and sports enthusiasts such as golfers, marathon runners, surfers, and divers, and to promote the attractiveness of Thailand. For business travelers, the plan is to encourage them to stay +1 night, and Mr. Fujimura said, “It is important for them to relax with a massage, inspect in their own way the many Japanese distribution stores that are expanding in Thailand, and feel the local wind.
In addition, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is running the “Now is the Time to Visit Thailand – An Invitation to a New Travel” campaign from October 2022 to March 2023. Currently, nine travel agencies are participating in the campaign, and the number of participants is currently about 8,000, compared to the target of 10,000.
In addition, Mr. Fujimura introduced “5F (Food, Film, Fashion, Festival, Fight)” and “4M (Music, Museum, Master, Metaverse)” as the attractions of Thailand. For example, he introduced the Songkran Festival in April and the Piet Kong Festival in Loei Province in June, and asked the participants to make use of them in planning their tours.
In addition, TJTA members introduced the latest local information at the seminar. Kumi Ikeda, Japan Representative for the Thai Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), introduced the MICE subsidy program. She also introduced the “MICE Lane” at Suvarnabhumi International Airport and other major airports, which allows up to 15 people per group to enter the country quickly, and offers special benefits to groups such as gifts from Thailand, classical dances at receptions, and discounts at shopping centers and activities. The company also offers special benefits to groups such as gifts from Thailand, classical dances at receptions, and discounts at shopping centers and activities.
MICE is thriving in Thailand, and the Japanese market is just now seeing a drop-off in groups of several hundred to several thousand people. Mr. Ikeda said, “The supply of airline seats is important not only for large-scale projects but also for FIT and leisure travel. Thai Airways International is starting to make moves, so I hope you will continue to keep your antennae sharp.
Mr. Tatsuya Ibe, Global Director of Sales Japan, MINORHOTELS, introduced the Avani Sukhumvit Bangkok Hotel, which opened in 2019. The hotel, which was temporarily closed due to the Corona disaster but reopened in early 2022, is directly connected to the On Nut BTS Skytrain station on the second floor and is conveniently located within 30 minutes by car to Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Mueang International Airport.
The first four floors are occupied by a department store with restaurants and a supermarket. The hotel has a coffee shop with lounge, swimming pool, spa, fitness center, and four conference rooms that can accommodate groups of up to 300 people. The hotel has a total of 382 guest rooms on the 9th through 33rd floors. Mr. Ibe appealed that the hotel is easy to use for groups because it has many twin beds, although the recent trend in Bangkok is that more and more hotels have few twin beds, making them difficult to use for group purchases.
Kyoko Tanimura, director of Tiger Tourist Tokyo, explained the recent trends among travel agencies. Until last fall, business travel was the main focus, but since fall, inquiries from small groups of repeat travelers, company trips, and school trips have been increasing, she said. She also explained that while there are currently no direct flights to Phuket, demand is increasing for travel to Pattaya, which is accessible by car from Bangkok. He suggested “Wat Samarn Rattanaram,” famous for its giant pink Ganesha elephant, as a stopover when visiting Pattaya.
He also mentioned the popularity of Thai entertainment in Japan and predicted an increase in tours to sacred places for Thai TV dramas in the future.
© Source travel watch
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