Damaged by two years of pandemic, Thai tourism is reviving with new ambitions. The Tourist Echo met Chattan Kunjara na Ayudhya, deputy director of the Tourism Thailand Authority.
Soon perhaps, Thailand will open its doors a little wider to tourists. The destination is considering scrapping the Thailand Pass , a measure that could come into effect on July 1. Because tourists, Thailand badly needs them after two years of pandemic. In 2021, the country welcomed 430,000… compared to 40 million in 2019. According to the site www.donneesmondiales.com , in 2020, the tourism sector, vital for its economy, alone fell by around 76%. .
But for several months now, the borders have been gradually opening. June marked a turning point, with a significant easing of restrictions and the removal of quarantine . To support the recovery, hoping to see more tourists return in October, November and December, during the high season. “Professionals are giving us very encouraging feedback,” Chattan Kunjara na Ayudhya, deputy director of the Tourism Thailand Authority (TAT), recently assured us during a recent trip to Paris. When we talk to TOs like Asia or Les Maisons du Voyage, everyone tells us that things are becoming more and more positive for the destination. »
“After these two years of closure to tourism, we want to offer new experiences, he continues, such as meetings with the local population. We recently took tourism professionals to Thailand to test these new offerings in a small village, to work with local people in picking palm fruit, processing it into sugar,” he explains, adding that wellness tourism will also be an important pillar. More upscale offers, therefore, to stimulate qualitative demand and gradually move away from mass tourism, even if substantial tourist receipts remain essential for the destination.
A difficult equation that Thailand is working to solve, in particular with the “Dash” model , which details the pillars of tourism recovery: shaping the supply, stimulating qualitative demand, restoring confidence but also emphasizing the domestic tourism are among the axes that structure this recovery.
“We cannot say no to the number of tourists”
“We cannot say no to the number of tourists,” explains Chattan Kunjara na Ayudhya. If people want to come, tour operators, airlines, we can’t say no. We’re just trying to work things out. We don’t want everyone to go to Phuket. (…) We have to organize ourselves, work on the development of the destination and the distribution of flows. »
The destination therefore strives to attract investors to develop projects in lesser-known areas. If Thailand hopes to receive between 7 and 10 million tourists for this year of recovery, it no longer wants to make the number of tourist arrivals its main indicator.
“For years, we have tried to set the objective in terms of income, not in terms of quantity, continues Chattan Kunjara na Ayudhya. In terms of tourism development, we often talk about three elements: the number of tourists, the amount of expenditure, and the length of stay, he lists. Our objective is now to focus our strategy on tourist spending, in particular by encouraging them to extend their stay. And to extend the stay, you have to create experiences, activities that will encourage tourists to stay longer. Going to a small village, testing the gastronomy are all activities that will increase the average basket. Some experiences already existed before the Covid, others are new. We are simply trying to bring them up to standard so that they are positive experiences for both tourists and locals. That is to say, working on these offers from a sustainable angle, involving the populations and preserving traditions.
Forced to close certain beachesTo give coral reefs damaged by mass tourism time to regenerate, Thailand also wants to make tourists aware of environmental protection. Visitors to Trat are encouraged to practice responsible tourism by engaging in activities that reduce their carbon footprint. “Along a single route covering Ko Mak (Low Carbon Destination) – Ko Kradat (Safari Island) and Ko ‘Kai-Hua-Ro’ (Island of Laughter), tourists are encouraged to use a CF Calculator app – created and developed by Thailand’s Greenhouse Gas Management Organization – to record their mode of travel, distance travelled, tourist activities and daily food consumption,” says Visit Thailand. The app will then calculate their personal greenhouse gas emissions on an annual basis and tourists will have to strive to reduce their footprint, by reducing their waste, by choosing to walk to the “island of laughter » instead of taking a small boat or eating organic or local products. As a result, a certificate from the TAT and a small gift to reward them for their efforts to become responsible tourists. This operation takes place until July. a certificate from the TAT and a small gift to reward them for their efforts to become responsible tourists. This operation takes place until July. a certificate from the TAT and a small gift to reward them for their efforts to become responsible tourists. This operation takes place until July.
