The Thais’ have a well-planned target of where they feel tourists are coming from and where they will come from. The country has a classification they term as RICHI an acronym for Russia, China, India, and Indonesia. All of these countries are within easy flying distance from the South East Asian country. Economy and affordability are some of the attractive features for Thailand for visitors, reveals Manik K.Malakar on this exclusive focus on the country.
The Indian traveller and holiday-maker is a valued commodity in today’s business environment and the country that realises this is Thailand. The South Asia country is on a drive to promote tourism, and India plays a major role in that country’s plans.
And it appears that Thailand has a well-thought out plan to both lure visitors and boost their economy, for which they are getting a good response.
“There is a very close linkage between India and Thailand. This relationship is both economic as well as social,” says Suraphon Svetasreni, Governor Tourism Authority of Thailand. Thus this burgeoning relationship has increased travel between the two Asian countries.
Continuing about the relationship between the two countries, the historical aspect is that Buddhism, the main religion in Thailand, is something that had its origins in India. On a more recent basis the Prime Minister of Thailand, Yingluck Shinawatra had visited India in January as the chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations in India.
From the community point of view, Indian traders had started coming to Thailand in the 19th century and have put down roots in that country. “A large number of hotels in the Central Bangkok region are owned by Thai-Indians,” explains Svetasreni.
So what role does tourism play in the vista of Thailand, and what are their plans going forward? According to statistics made available by the Thai authorities in CY 2011 the country saw 19,098,323 tourist arrivals, an increase from the 15,936,400 arrivals in 2010. And it appears that Indians too are immune to Thailand’s charms as the number of Indians visiting that country increased to 916,787 visitors in Calendar Year 2011 from the 760,371 in CY 2010.
Interestingly, despite the global economic woes at least as far as tourism goes Thailand appears to be immune, as the number of tourists from the Europe region as well as the US regions, which have been hit by the economic crisis, has still continued to increase.
And the Thais have a well-planned target of where they feel tourists are coming from and where they will come from. The country has a classification they term as RICHI an acronym for Russia, China, India, and Indonesia. All of these countries are within easy flying distance from the South East Asian country. “Economy and affordability are some of the attractive features for Thailand for visitors,” explains Svetasreni.
Coming back to the Indo-Thai linkage, Thailand was one of the first counties to realise the potential of India when we started to liberalise our economy in the 1990s. And with issues like visa on arrival, the country has been quick to take advantage of the Indian tourist.
On a personal note Svetasreni remembered the time when there were just 14 flights a week from Thailand to India. Now 170 flights fly from Thailand to various Indian metros per week.
A contemporary and social responsible touch is provided by sustainable or green tourism. An environmental consciousness is pervading the modern tourist a fact that tourism authorities in Thailand have noted. “Tourists are willing to pay more for their holiday as long as it is green,” notes Svetasreni.
So what would be the highlights that Thailand could offer from the tourism point of view? The country has shopping and nightlife. And now as a wedding destination too the country has a benefit. “Thailand has secluded resorts that are ideal for honeymooners,” smiles Svetasreni.
And yes, our Bollywood is now spread as far as Thailand and that country has benefited from Mumbai’s own unique industry. There were 444 production crews in the country for their film shoots, of which 72 were from India. And Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has his statue in the Madame Tussauds Bangkok museum.
Even the sporting aspect is covered and here golf takes the lead. “Indians are increasingly seen on Thailand’s gold links,” Svetasreni informs. And not to forget the Thai cuisine which is renowned for being lacking in fatty content.
So is everything hunky-dory? There may be some amount of ‘destination fatigue’. The average Indian traveller is a short-haul one and so Thailand has been visited frequently. This is something that the Thais plan to counter with various facets including interactions with the media.
And Thailand does face challenges from countries, for instance Vietnam, who has figured out that the tourism industry has potential. And yes they too are targeting the Indian tourist. “Indians are price conscious but not cheap,” Svetasreni maintains. People from our country seek value for money. “You will get the best price in Thailand, prices that you will not get anywhere else in the world,” ends Svetasreni.