Thailand to target high-spending groups like Indian weddings to increase tourism

Thailand hopes to spice up its tourism income to between $16 billion-$19 billion by year-end, by concentrating on high-spending teams like Indian wedding ceremony events and honeymooners, a senior tourism official mentioned.

Well-known for its white-sand seashores and nightlife, Thailand hopes to faucet into “pent-up demand” from the multi-billion greenback Indian wedding ceremony business, Tourism Authority of Thailand deputy governor Siripakorn Cheawsamoot advised Reuters in an interview this week.

“Information from the final two years confirmed that many Indian {couples} bought married, however could not discover honeymoon areas … or held again on getting married as a result of they needed to have their reception abroad together with in Thailand,” he mentioned on Tuesday.

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International tourism income from January to Aug. 28 got here in at $5.1 billion from 4.2 million guests, and 10 million arrivals are anticipated for the complete 12 months.

The Southeast Asian nation depends closely on tourism as a driver of financial development. International arrivals plummeted to simply 428,000 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in contrast with a document of practically 40 million in 2019 when tourism made up 12% of GDP.

Thailand is making an attempt to revive its tourism business, which was closely broken by the COVID pandemic, by concentrating on high-spending teams like Indian wedding ceremony events and honeymooners. Pictured: Vacationer on a seashore at Maya Bay in Krabi province, Thaila (REUTERS/Jorge Silva / Reuters)

Now, having dropped most pandemic-related restrictions, the federal government is concentrating on income of $11 billion within the second half of 2022.

Indian weddings in Thailand can value from $273,000 to $820,000, as they’ll last as long as every week and embrace all the pieces from occasion planning to catering, ornament and transportation.

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About 60% of Indian vacation spot weddings in Thailand had been these of residents of India, whereas the rest had been from abroad Indian households, he mentioned, so Thai tourism representatives in Mumbai and New Delhi are increasing partnerships with wedding ceremony planners.

Siripakron expects vacationers will likely be spending a minimum of $1,300 per journey this 12 months and in 2023 he hopes that quantity will rise to $1,400 per journey, helped by different high-spending segments like medical tourism and executives selecting to work remotely in Thailand.

The federal government will even lengthen some vacationer visas from 15 to 30 days beginning in October as traveler habits adjustments to favor longer stays because of costly flights and low availability, he mentioned.