TAT launches luxury travel package to Thailand for rich South Korean tourists

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) launched a travel package called ‘Amazing New Chapters: Discover Luxperience in Thailand’ aimed at high-end South Korean travellers.

The deal combines business class tickets to Bangkok on Asiana Airlines and a stay at the five-star Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, which costs around 12,000 baht per night.

The TAT hopes to make Thailand a desirable destination for South Koreans by targeting luxury tourists, long-stayers, honeymooners, couples, millennials, and families with the campaign.

Discover Luxperience is part of the TAT’s wider campaign Visit Thailand Year 2022-23: Amazing New Chapters, featuring five-star hotels, premium rooftop bars, Michelin-starred restaurants, cruises, fancy car rentals, and private yachts and helicopters.

Director of TAT Seoul Office Jiranee Poonnayom said…

“This new initiative is designed to appeal to affluent and luxury travellers from South Korea who are interested in experiencing Thailand’s new and luxury tourism products, in major and secondary destinations.”

Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai are popular destinations among South Korean tourists. TAT’s office in Seoul is promoting travel to Samui, Krabi, Hua Hin, and Chiang Rai, too.

Between January – November 2022, nearly 400,000 South Koreans arrived in Thailand. The TAT expects the number to surpass 500,000 before the end of the year.

Next year, the TAT hopes to welcome over 1.3 million South Korean tourists, representing 70% of the 1.88 million South Korean arrivals in Thailand in 2019.

The TAT hopes to bolster revenue by attracting not just any tourists, but big-spenders. Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the country should focus on attracting “high-end travellers, rather than a large number of visitors.”

South Korea, on the other hand, doesn’t seem too bothered about attracting Thai tourists. As so many Thai “tourists” fly to Korea and never come back (“Little Ghosts”), South Korean immigration is very strict.

In August, 110 Thais on one flight were denied entry into South Korea and many were detained for four days before being sent back home.

The following month, famous Thai rapper ‘Milli’ was denied entry into South Korea and was forced to cancel her concert.