Tourism Authority of Thailand says India’s high-end tourist market has great potential for Thailand especially hosting weddings.
TAT New Delhi Office director, Runjuan Tongrut, told the Association of Thai Travel Agents members at their monthly meeting. last Thursday, that India’s top-end market is growing fast, but local tour operators need to tap it.
“Currently, India ranks third in terms of economic growth following China and the United States,” the director explained.
She noted that the average spend of an Indian tourist in Thailand is THB5,500 per day and THB39,000 per trip (one week stay). Last year, they generated over THB40,000 million in revenue.
Thailand attracted 1,050,000 Indian tourists and of that total, 47% were first-time visitors, 67% were independent travellers and 86% were travelling on leisure as opposed to business, she explained.
The main source cities for travel to Thailand are New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad. The travel segments are family, leisure, golf, MICE, weddings and female groups.
“Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Hun Hin, Krabi and Samui are top destinations for them…luxury tourists are a relatively new trend and they head for Krabi, Samui, while Khao Lak in Phang Nga attracts more weddings.”
“There are more than 100 couples organising wedding in Thailand and this generates revenue of THB10 million per wedding with a length of stay at three-day and four nights.”
“Usually an Indian wedding held in Thailand will bring around 100 to 1,000 relatives and friends who stay at the hotel venue for the duration of the wedding celebrations.”
Forward bookings for Thailand are up 10% according to a TAT survey of tour operators in India held last month. This indicatesd that the market could be recovering after months of negative trends.
“Budget carrier SpiceJet will resume its flights to Bangkok, with a new daily flight from Kolkata starting 25 September…the service will add another choice for passengers to travel between Thailand and India.”
Flights from Kolkata to Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport) will be SpiceJet’s first direct international flight from Kolkata.