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TOURISM
CHATRUDEE THEPARAT
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is looking to woo more South Korean visitors as part of its effort to attract short-haul travellers who might be less affected by high oil prices. An ambitious plan was set this year to boost tourism revenue from Korea, which is considered a quality market with high-spending tourists, said Sansern Ngaorungsi, the TAT director of East Asia.
This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Thai-South Korean diplomatic relations.
According to TAT statistics, 1.08 million tourists arrived from South Korea in 2007 with an average stay of 5.8 days and spending of 4,651 baht per head per day.
Spending for Korean visitors was relatively high, with daily spending almost on par with 4,706 baht per head per day by Japanese visitors and 4,700 baht by Indians.
South Korea is currently the third largest Asian market for Thai tourism after Malaysia and Japan. Phuket and Chiang Mai are the two most popular destinations after Bangkok for South Korean tourists.
Malaysia and Japan have been a key market for Thai tourism for years, but recently South Korea has been catching up in terms of tourist arrivals, thanks to TAT's heavy promotional campaigns.
The TAT Seoul office and a team of Thai businesses just participated in the Korea Travel Fair (Kofta 2008) held from June 5-8 at the COEX Mall, Seoul, that attracted approximately 80,000 visitors.
Kofta is the largest and most important travel fair in Korea, with travel organisations from 48 countries attending the event in 2008. At the fair, TAT won two awards: Best Booth Design and Best Folklore Performance.
The TAT also organised the Thailand Festival and Road Show 2008 from June 10-12 at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul and Pusan with 37 tourism organisations from Thailand and 300 Korean tourism operators and press.
Although it is too early to see tangible results in terms of business, the response so far has been warm, and all signs indicate that we can expect more visitors from this high-spending market, said Mr Sansern.
Vorapong Muchaotai, vice-president of the Chiang Mai Tourism Business Association (CMTBA) who also participated in the roadshows in Korea, said continued rising oil prices that hit long-haul visitors had prompted the association's members to focus this year on appealing to visitors from Asia such as Korea, Taiwan and China.
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