Photo: 27 Percentss / Pexels
TAT, Thailand's tourism authority, plans to push for more visitors from Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore. It points to an IMF forecast of 4.8% GDP growth for Asia this year. The plan combines market-by-market targeting, airline partnerships, digital wallet and travel company tie-ins, and a new 2027 product programme. Several of these markets are currently behind their arrival targets.
The strategy
TAT wants to attract travellers from AI-driven economies and fast-growing neighbours. It cites an IMF forecast released last week, during the IMF-World Bank meetings in Bangkok. The forecast puts Asian GDP growth at 4.8% this year. The article gives these growth figures for the five markets:
| Market | GDP growth |
|---|---|
| Taiwan | 10.7% |
| Vietnam | 8.4% |
| Malaysia | 5.2% |
| Indonesia | 5.1% |
| Singapore | 5.0% |
One part of the strategy is to match tourist demand in each market with suitable tourism supply, to raise both visitor volume and spending.
Taiwan
Taiwanese arrivals were 548,757 as of 19 October, against a target of 1 million. About 90% of Taiwanese visitors are independent travellers who have been to Thailand before. TAT wants to encourage repeat visits and is focusing on local street food, outdoor and adventure activities, and LGBTQ+ tourism.
Vietnam
Vietnam has recorded 487,236 arrivals, well short of its 689,000 target. TAT wants Vietnamese travellers to make more frequent trips, especially for shopping and family holidays, using the two countries' proximity. It is working with the MoMo digital wallet to stimulate spending in Thailand. It is also working with BenThanh Tourist, a leading Vietnamese travel company focused on upscale meetings and incentives.
Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia
All three markets are underperforming their targets.
| Market | Target | Arrivals so far |
|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | 4.82 million | 3.1 million |
| Singapore | 1.12 million | 673,114 |
| Indonesia | 890,000 | 490,276 |
TAT plans to go after niche segments in these markets:
- Overland travellers
- Health and wellness enthusiasts
- Muslim tourists
It also wants to keep flight capacity for these markets. To lift capacity and passenger numbers from Indonesia, it has partnered with three Indonesian airlines: TransNusa, Citilink and AirAsia Indonesia. It is also promoting aesthetic (cosmetic) tourism to Indonesians, based on data from private clinics in Thailand showing growing demand.
New product programme for 2027
This week TAT launched "Thailand Experience: Tourism Product Highlight 2027" as part of its 2027 development strategy. It has five strategies:
1. Wellness and longevity tourism 2. Festival economy 3. Creative economy 4. Sustainable and regenerative tourism 5. Trusted Thailand, a set of certifications and standards for the quality and safety of tourism services
What this means for travellers
Expect more marketing, airline capacity and promotions aimed at Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian visitors. Expect more wellness, food, festival and adventure products, plus Muslim-friendly and LGBTQ+ offerings. A "Trusted Thailand" certification scheme for service quality and safety is also coming.
Information sourced from Bangkok Post.