Thailand shifts to European, U.S. tourists to rely less on Chinese

yong · Post by **yong** » Wed Oct 12, 2022 5:09 pm

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Travel ... 8&si=44594

Thailand shifts to European, U.S. tourists to rely less on Chinese
Tourism head touts sunny weather to those facing surging heating bills

Thailand hopes to receive at least 10 million tourists this year. © Sipa USA via AP
FRANCESCA REGALADO, Nikkei staff writerOctober 11, 2022 19:40 JST

BANGKOK -- The Tourism Authority of Thailand, or TAT, has a new pitch for Europeans and Americans facing a harsh and expensive winter: Save on high electricity and heating bills by coming to enjoy Thailand's tropical weather.

The recently launched marketing campaign aims to promote Thailand as a year-round destination at a time when prices and heating bills are surging in Europe and the U.S. Attracting tourists from these markets, who tend to stay longer, will be key to TAT as it aims for 600 billion baht ($15.7 billion) in revenue and 10 million tourists this year -- all without Chinese arrivals.

"We have to focus more on the quality. What that means is the ones who can come frequently and the ones who come to Thailand and stay longer," Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the tourism authority, said in a Tuesday press conference.

Those targets are well below Thailand's pre-pandemic peak of 40 million tourists and revenue of 3 trillion baht in 2019. If Chinese tourists return in full force by year's end, Yuthasak said Thailand could see up to 12 million tourists.

But the governor has low expectations that China will reopen before late January. "We cannot wait for that but we work with many regions and our neighboring countries in Asia, especially [South] Korea and Japan," he said.

To replace China's big spenders, Thailand undertook a big push to attract Indian and Middle Eastern visitors looking to escape the high summer, typically low season for Thai tourism. So far, more than 500,000 Indians have visited Thailand this year, second only to the 634,000 Malaysians who only have to cross the border.

Yuthasak credited the numbers to Thailand's full relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions. The kingdom has received about one million tourists per month since May, recovering faster than its neighboring countries that also rely on tourism.

Entry requirements such as vaccination certificates and medical insurance have been dropped. The government on Oct. 1 closed its pandemic command center, officially treating COVID-19 as an endemic disease.

The tourism authority hopes that both long-haul and short-haul visitors will extend their stays by at least 20% next year. That would lead to an increase in spending per trip of about 30%.

The TAT believes that tourists will be motivated to stay longer, given that airfares are more expensive now than before the pandemic. Visa-exempt tourists can now stay for 45 days after the government approved a 15-day extension, valid from Oct. 1 to next March.

The challenge, however, remains in the logistics of bringing people to Thailand. Airline seat capacity remains at 30% of pre-pandemic levels, which has led to a more than doubling in airfares.

"It's not easy. If you bring a plane back, it's not like a car that you can jump-start the battery," said Yuthasak, who added that TAT is working to show airlines the pent-up demand. Seats available for the winter travel season stand at 573,538, an increase of 74% from the summer.

The hospitality industry is also contending with a labor shortage, as migrant workers have not returned to Thailand en masse. The tourism ministry has set a target of 55% occupancy for hotels, incentivizing businesses to stay open as long as TAT can bring in 10 million tourists.

Domestic tourism may also take a hit as popular destinations for Thais reopen, including Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong, while the government's We Travel Together subsidy campaign ends this month. Yuthasak noted long lines at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday, the first day of Japan's full reopening to tourists.

"We are preparing a campaign that is aimed at reducing the cost of transportation mainly because we have high prices of gasoline and LPG in Thailand," said Yuthasak, referring to liquefied petroleum gas. "So if we reduce the cost of transportation, we can make them continue to travel."

There will be opportunities for Thailand in the reopening of Japan and South Korea. Yuthasak said TAT has focused on attracting younger and female visitors -- instead of older male business travelers -- from Japan and South Korea to activities such as golf, diving, and health and wellness treatments.

Alex · Post by **Alex** » Wed Oct 12, 2022 5:27 pm

Desperation is in the air. They've pretty much gone full circle.

truffledog · Post by **truffledog** » Wed Oct 12, 2022 7:24 pm

Whilst it may be true that you can save on heating it will still cost more to spend winter in Thailand as in most cases home fixed costs are still payable.

phuketrichard · Post by **phuketrichard** » Wed Oct 12, 2022 7:33 pm

truffledog wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 7:24 pm Whilst it may be true that you can save on heating it will still cost more to spend winter in Thailand as in most cases home fixed costs are still payable.

airfare for 2 only would pay ur heating bill for the winter

Thailand never really looks very hard at things.

John Bingham · Post by **John Bingham** » Wed Oct 12, 2022 8:32 pm

It's a novel take that might attract quite a few. As far as I can work out tourism in Thailand is recovering better than most countries in the region. For those facing a cold and threatening winter in Europe not much could seem more appealing than heading to tropical SE Asia for a few months. Sure, flights are more expensive than before but the cost of living well in Thailand is much lower than anywhere in Europe I can think of.

Cowshed Cowboy · Post by **Cowshed Cowboy** » Thu Oct 13, 2022 1:30 pm

I think Thailand shot itself in the foot a few years ago by making it harder for longer winter stayers visa wise. Not every person, particularly the elderly, wants the hassle or especially now the extra expense of having to travel to a neighbouring country after 3 months for the sake of staying longer. I personally know a few European winter stayers in my condo that now spend less time every year in Thailand than they used to because of that.

Thailand shifts to European, U.S. tourists to rely less on Chinese

Thailand shifts to European, U.S. tourists to rely less on Chinese

Re: Thailand shifts to European, U.S. tourists to rely less on Chinese

Re: Thailand shifts to European, U.S. tourists to rely less on Chinese

Re: Thailand shifts to European, U.S. tourists to rely less on Chinese

Re: Thailand shifts to European, U.S. tourists to rely less on Chinese

Re: Thailand shifts to European, U.S. tourists to rely less on Chinese

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