Will post-flood efforts bring some new ways to promote Thai tourism?

BANGKOK, Thailand (eTN) – With most of Bangkok and Thailand’s central plains being back to normal, Thailand steps up its promotion efforts to lure back travelers following a sharp drop in arrivals i

BANGKOK, Thailand (eTN) – With most of Bangkok and Thailand’s central plains being back to normal, Thailand steps up its promotion efforts to lure back travelers following a sharp drop in arrivals in November due to the flooding crisis.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) newest campaign, “Beautiful Thailand,” was symbolically launched on December 4 in Ayutthaya, as TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni, as well as personalities such as Ayutthaya’s Governor, participated in a “Cleaning Day” event, which was conducted to show solidarity to local inhabitants and boost confidence into the capacity of the destination to bounce back.

The city was severely affected by flooding for weeks with many historical structures partially or severely damaged. UNESCO experts came at the end of November to evaluate the damages at historical sites and found that many historic structures have been damaged at their base, with a risk of collapsing, as they were constructed in bricks. Thailand’s Ministry of Culture will provide a US$46 million budget to restore some of the temples. Ayutthaya’s historical sites have been heavily affected by recent flooding in Thailand.

TAT, however, remains optimistic about the recovery capacity of both Ayutthaya and the Thai travel industry. “Tourism plays an important role in the livelihood of Ayutthaya. Other than Wat Chai Wattanaram, which is still being carefully drained, all tourist attractions in Ayutthaya are open to visitors. We are confident that tourists who travel to Ayutthaya, about an hour’s drive from Bangkok, will find it as charming and authentic as ever,” said TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni. TAT is currently taking some 350 media and travel agents all around the country to show them that the kingdom is back on track. The mega fam trip takes place from December 6 to 18.

However, how effective is this kind of initiative? “We can ask ourselves if this will change radically the perception of travelers for the kingdom, especially as Thailand tourism has always shown its capacity to bounce back sharply every time after a crisis,” analyzes Chanin Donavanik, CEO of Dusit International. TAT for example still sticks to its target of 18 to 18.5 million travelers for this year compared to some 16 million in 2010.
Would it not effectively be better to provide then a financial and/or marketing support to Thailand’s largest incoming tourism sources? Special promotional fares in conjunction with airlines, discounts for traveling partners, additional services, or free tours could be a way to lure more travelers to a destination, which remains highly popular.

However, these kind of initiatives are not really favored according to Dusit CEO. “It is in our culture to impress. This is why large amounts of money are generally spent in big events. I am, for example, surprised that no new destination in the country has been properly promoted over the last 20 years. The last big “new” destination in Thailand has been Samui,” explained Chanin Donavanik. He concluded that it is then difficult for hoteliers to develop into new markets in Thailand, beyond top destinations. “Only Phuket and Samui are highly profitable, while we can ‘survive’ in Bangkok, Pattaya, or Hua Hin. But it is hard to operate profitably in other destinations,” he said.

Asked if Thailand will learn its lessons from its catastrophic public communication during the flooding, Mr. Donavanik remains at best dubitative. “I do not think that the lesson will be learned, as we are by tradition a very hierarchical society at work with nobody taking an immediate initiative if not backed by his superiors. This is why, for example, Thai embassies abroad did not talk to local media following the disastrous pictures of flooded old Don Muang airport in Bangkok. They were waiting for a signal from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and this signal never arrived,” added Dusit’s CEO. It is to be hoped that Thailand tourism will not experience again another crisis.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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