Thailand targets long-haul tourists with new US, Saudi Arabia offices
In an effort to boost tourists visiting, Thailand‘s government will be establishing additional tourism offices in the United States and Saudi Arabia, stated the deputy spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek. The proposition comes as part of a refreshed approach to meet international market demands, as directed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is now concentrating on attracting long-haul travellers, primarily from Europe, the United States, and the Middle East. The projected revenue from such endeavours is expected to reach a staggering 1.62 trillion baht by year’s end, Dhnadirek pointed out.
TAT is furthering its reach in the US by inaugurating an overseas office in the city of Chicago, joining existing offices in New York and Los Angeles. Meanwhile, an office will also open in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, to market Thailand as an appealing destination to Middle Eastern and North African tourists, Dhnadirek explained.
Figures for the first half of the year indicate that Thailand received nearly three million tourists from European countries, along with approximately 620,000 visitors from the United States and 230,000 from the Middle East.
Dhnadirek referred to TAT data from this year’s first quarter, signifying that long-haul visitors from Europe, the United States, and the Middle East accounted for the highest spending and stayed the longest duration when compared with other inbound tourists.
The data revealed that European tourists spent an average span of 19.4 days per trip in Thailand, cumulating expenses of 71,718 baht per person on average. Similarly, tourists from Arab regions accounted for 16.17 days with an expense of 99,172 baht, while US travellers averaged 15.26 days and 76,297 baht per person.
With the planned increase in international flights from April to October, TAT expects that seven million long-haul tourists will grace the country this year. This influx is projected to contribute an estimated 60.6 billion baht to the Thai tourism sector.
