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Middle East important market for Thailand tourism industry

DUBAI — The Middle East is an important and fast-growing market for Thailand tourism and the UAE is top source in the region followed by Kuwait and Oman, a top government official said.

Thai tourism recorded an average annual growth rate of around 10 per cent between 1999 and 2005 from the region. In 2009, arrivals from the Middle East were up around 5 per cent to more than 370,000, with the top source markets being the UAE (84,000), Kuwait (44,500) and Oman (41,000).

The Thai Minister for Tourism and Sports, Chumpol Silapa-archa, urged residents of the Middle East not to forget Thailand as an attractive holiday, business, medical and wellness destination, while addressing a Press conference on Tuesday in Dubai hosted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) at the ATM.

The minister highlighted the Thai people’s desire for a peaceful resolve to the current situation and the robust nature of Thailand’s tourism industry to quickly attract visitors following such challenges.

For the first two months of 2010 Thailand received over 100,000 visitors from the Middle East which was a robust 39 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2009. Reasons for the growth are cited as visa facilitation efforts and growing direct aviation links especially through the Gulf countries. At present, citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE can obtain visa-free entry to Thailand. As of May 2010, 117 direct scheduled flights per week, operated by 12 airlines, connect Thailand to nine countries in the Middle East. These airlines include Emirates, Qatar Airways, Gulf Air, Etihad Airways, Kuwait Airways, Oman Air, Iran Air, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Egypt Air, Mahan Air, Turkish Airlines and Thai Airways International.

Silapa-archa said, “Thai people will work together to resolve the current situation and move ahead. Thailand’s tourism sector has proven its ability to bounce back in the past. Our tourism offering has many strengths. The things that make Thailand such an appealing destination for visitors from all over the world are still in place, and I am confident that Thailand’s tourism sector will quickly recover and rebuild once the current situation is resolved.”

The new Governor of the TAT Suraphon Svetasreni highlighted the 50-year-old tourism body’s new challenges to restructure Thailand’s tourism operations and products to meet the changes in both external and internal environments.

Svetasreni said, “As the new TAT Governor, I will focus on digital marketing; strengthening Thailand’s brand image; promoting sustainable tourism, and ensuring effective crisis management and response. I also plan to step up our coordination efforts to enhance public-private co-operation. I strongly believe that if the first 50 years of tourism development focused largely on maximising the economic returns, the next 50 years will require an equivalent focus on minimising the ecological impact of tourism.”

· abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com