Thailand Travel Mart 2008 Plus Achieves Record Results

The Thailand Travel Mart 2008 Plus which concluded earlier this month exceeded all targets with a record 473 buyers from 63 countries attending the two-day trade event held in Bangkok.  This represented a 31.2 per cent increase over 2007 figures.

This year the annual show was renamed the 7th Thailand Travel Mart 2008 Plus Amazing Gateway to the Greater Mekong Sub-region and the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) to reflect the first-time inclusion of sellers from various regions of Indonesia and Malaysia.

The 392 seller organisations that participated this year included 16 companies from the Greater Mekong Sub-region and 41 companies from the IMT-GT.

[Pictured: All 76 provinces of the Kingdom of Thailand displayed product at the Thailand Travel Fair 2008.]

TTM 2008 Plus was held during the same period as the two-day consumer-oriented Thailand Tourism Festival 2008 in order to allow overseas buyers to see a wide variety of Thai travel product.

Exhibitors from all 76 provinces displayed services and products over 40,000 sq. m of decorated exhibition space.

Addressing media delegates during a press briefing in Bangkok’s suburban IMPACT Exhibition Centre, Mrs Phornsiri Manoharn, Governor, Tourism Authority of Thailand, said that Thailand received 14.46 million visitors in 2007, a 4.7 per cent increase over 2006.

Malaysia, Japan and South Korea were the top three tourist generating countries, each supplying more than 1 million visitors.

[Mrs Phornsiri Manoharn, Governor, TAT, is confident that the Airport Link will be completed late this year.]

Australia is now the 7th largest market for Thailand with over 638,000 arrivals in 2007.  This represented a 4.4 per cent increase.

Worldwide arrivals figures for the first quarter are encouraging with a 12.9 per cent increase over the first three months of 2007, she said.  Thailand is projecting 15.7 million arrivals this year.

Addressing other issues, Mrs Manoharn said that during the Thailand Investment and Tourism Year 2008/2009 the Amazing Thailand theme would be retained.

The Seven Wonders of Thailand would be promoted during this period: Thainess, Treasures, Beaches, Nature, Wellness, Trends and Festivities.

A number of upmarket niche markets would also be promoted this year including spas, honeymoons, golf and diving as well as MICE tourism, she added.

Regarding infrastructure development, eight major hotels will be added to Bangkok’s inventory during 2008/2009.

In addition, the long awaited Airport Link between Suvarnabhumi Airport and Bangkok is expected to be finished by the end of the year, she added.

A soft opening is anticipated in early 2009.  When the train comes on line it will cut travel time between the airport and city to 15 – 20 minutes, she said.  (Suvarnabhumi Airport recorded nearly 10.5 million arrivals last year.)

Medical tourism which is expected to attract 1.45 million people this year and sports tourism which features events like the Pattaya International Marathon on July 20 are also set for marketing and promotional boosts in 2008.

[Thailand’s dominance of the region’s golf tourism market was well represented at the travel show.]

Tourism cooperation with Indonesia and Malaysia is not new.  The TAT has been working to promote regional tourism cooperation with its southern neighbours since 1993, said Mrs Manoharn.

The inclusion of much of Malaysia and Indonesia – notably the island of Sumatra – at this year’s travel trade show reflects the intensified development of road, rail and air links that are designed to enhance connectivity and hence, increased tourist traffic.

The goal is to “make the region into a single destination”, said Artur M.D. Batubara, Vice President, North Sumatera Tourism Board.

[The gala opening of the TTM 2008 Plus featured many aspects of Thai culture.]

We are currently working on joint packages for the medium haul markets like Australia and would like these to be available by the end of the year, he added.

Nature, culture and soft adventure are three appealing aspects of the northern region which attracted 160,000 foreign tourists last year, he said.

The MICE segment of our travel industry is also growing with Medan which has 4000 rooms – 2000 were added in the last two years – and two major venues attracting events.

Batam Island near Singapore is also a MICE destination but with its fine golf courses, it’s also a significant sports and leisure destination, he added.

Organisers on the island are gearing up for the Sumatera International Travel Fair which is being planned for Padang in 2009.  This event is expected to further stimulate growth to the island and will underscore the cooperation between members of the growth triangle, said Mr Batubara.

An Exclusive On Location Report by Thomas E. King, TravelMole’s Travel & Lifestyle Editor from the Thailand Travel Mart