ATTA raises member arrival projection to 3 million

The Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) forecasts the number of international tourists arriving through its members will rise 10% to 3 million this year, up from an earlier projection of 7-8%. The momentum of tourism recovery will continue and arrivals are projected to grow by 7-10% next year, said ATTA president Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn. As of Monday, total tourist arrivals through ATTA members increased by 9.68% to 2.66 million. The top five source countries were Chia with 739,929 travellers, Russia (308,372), India (195,104), Japan (153,571) and Vietnam (146,430). "Emerging markets have showed a positive trend. These markets will be important to boost tourism revenue to reach 2 trillion baht by 2015," said Mr Sisdivachr. The ATTA plans to set up a website for travel package booking to serve fast-growing technology and changes in customer behaviour. This will be in line with major promotion campaigns by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), which is focusing on online marketing. TAT governor Suraphon Svetasreni said the country's key strategies to meet the tourism targets include building "Thainess" as a brand to make Thailand stand out from other countries, expanding mainstream markets and connecting Thai tourism with Asean members. "The online channel is important for us. TAT is ready to support the private sector to boost tourism via online channels. Private operators should identify themselves and use a soft sell strategy," said Mr Suraphon. "The average room rate here is considered lower despite quality room offerings. We have to increase the price across the board but it requires the collaboration of all parties." The TAT plans to select hotels and tourism operators for road shows who fit to certain markets. It targets 20.5 million tourists this year for tourism revenue of 830 billion baht.