With Chinese tourists beginning to travel again in increasing numbers, tourism officials in Thailand have been pulling out all the stops to attract them back to the Land of Smiles. As part of efforts to boost confidence in Thailand as a preferred destination, the ‘Amazing Thailand Roadshow’ set off on a promotional tour of China this month.
From 17-21 April, The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) lead a delegation of 56 Thai tourism operators on the ‘Amazing Thailand Road Show to China 2023, Phuket & the Andaman+’ tour. The group made stops in the three major cities, namely Chongqing, Beijing, and Nanjing. In each location, TAT showcased the wonders of Thai tourism to crowds of potential clients and partners.
The roadshow made its first stop in Chongqing on 17 April, followed by Beijing on 19 April, and finally Nanjing on 21 April. The campaign follows hot on the heels of February’s ‘Amazing Thailand Amazing New Chapters Roadshow to China 2023’, which visited Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou. Like its predecessor, the April tour set out to remind Chinese travellers why Thailand has traditionally been one of their favourite destinations.
“The roadshow places emphasis on promoting quality tourism experiences in Thailand, focusing particularly on a vast array of tourism products and services on offer in Phuket and nearby Andaman coastal areas,” explained Mr. Tanes Petsuwan, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing – Asia and the South Pacific. “To this extent, we are quite pleased to see enthusiastic business negotiations between the Thai suppliers and China’s tourism professionals, and the continued confidence in Thailand as a preferred destination for Chinese tourists,” he added
Another aim of the roadshow is to promote TAT’s most recent marketing campaign for the Chinese market called ‘Tiew Muang Thai Ying Pai Ying Sanook’ (‘the more one travels to Thailand, the more fun they enjoy’). According to TAT, this targeted campaign aims to highlight quality tourism products and services that “cater to the lifestyles of different Chinese travel segments”.
Chongqing, Beijing and Nanjing were selected by TAT as primary destinations for the roadshows due to their connectedness with Thailand. An average of 25 weekly flights make the journey from Chongqing to Bangkok, with 14 more each week between from Beijing and 23 from Nanjing. From 1 January to 10 April 2023, Thailand welcomed 614,338 Chinese tourists, according to figures released by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
According to Mr. Tanes, these arrivals could be just the tip of the iceberg. “With over 11 million Chinese tourists visiting in 2019, China is an important tourist market for Thailand, and as it continues to rebound TAT is expecting the roadshows to China this year will help Thailand achieve its target of welcoming 9 million Chinese tourists in 2023,” he concluded.
