“Supertour’ tipped to splurge B75m
PHUKET TOWN: The biggest single group of tourists ever to visit Phuket will arrive next month for what, it is hoped, will be a massive spending spree that sets the precedent for more large groups to follow. One estimate puts the spending potential of the group in Phuket at more than 25 million baht a day over three days, boosting local hotels, retailers and the entertainment industry. The holiday in Thailand is a reward for about 2,400 Japanese working with direct sales company Erina, about 95% of them women aged between 35 and 55. They will spend three days in Bangkok before coming to Phuket from July 14 to 16. Monguchi Takechi, President of major Japanese tour operator JTA Co, which is handling the supertour, met Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi on Wednesday to deal with the logistical issues involved in taking care of such a large-scale influx. The group will spend about 10 million baht a day on food and accommodation alone, and Mr Monguchi feels that a realistic daily spending figure for each tourist will be US$300, or about 12,000 baht. Thailand won the hearts and minds of the group after a global search. “Phuket has become a well known destination in Japan, so they sent a team over here to inspect if Phuket would be the destination,” Mr Monguchi said. “It was either here or Las Vegas.”
