The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently launched the Visit Thailand Year 2022: Amazing New Chapters campaign. Mr Tanes Petsuwan, Deputy Governor for International Marketing Asia, joined a delegation of TAT representatives in Sydney this month to explain the 5-pronged marketing campaign to a select group of media representatives.
1. New Segments
With the growing popularity of a ‘workation’ or working remotely, Bangkok and Phuket rank high on the list of cities that best suit digital nomads.
2. New Areas
TAT is now promoting new areas to Australian tourists, such as sea, sand and sun destinations of the east coast including Trat and The Gulf’s popular centre for golf and wellness; Hua Hin, as well as the northern regions including Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai for soft adventure.
3. New Partners
TAT is actively seeking new promotional partners across a number of platforms, engaging influencers and new digital mechanics for collaboration.
4. New Infrastructure
During the pause in tourism forced by the Covid-19 pandemic, Thailand has been developing infrastructure, including the construction of Grand Bang Sue Station, underground walkways linking the Grand Palace, highways connecting Bangkok to other parts of the country, light monorail in Khon Khaen in the north-east, Betong Airport in the south and a high-speed rail connecting Bangkok to Malaysia, due for completion in 2029.
5. New Way.
The pandemic has also increased awareness among the world’s travellers and how their behaviour has impacted the environment, TAT will focus on promoting responsible tourism.
Thailand has some of the world’s most progressive hotels when it comes to leaving a minimal footprint. Which means you can sleep soundly across the country in hotels that unite style and sustainability.
In Phuket, a collaboration between JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Minor Hotels (Anantara, Avani) is working to fund environmental programs that support fragile marine life, such as the foundation’s Nesting Beach Patrols, protecting leatherback turtles that return to nest on the sands of Mai Khao.
Also in Phuket, five-star Keemala has a strong commitment to environmental and ethical practices. From the villa design to the landscaping, garden-to-table culinary approach, plastic-waste free policy and ethically sourced materials, everything has been carefully considered to help ensure a greener future.
AKARYN Hotel Group is one of the hospitality pioneers in Thailand to nix single-use plastics and, among several other sustainable initiatives – it now invests in solar panels, has started an organic farmers market at its Aleenta Phuket resort which also rewards locals and guests for beach cleanups with a free coffee at its beachside cafe.
Travel north to witness the work of the trendsetting Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF), which is co-funded by the Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort and Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle. The sanctuary has, for over a decade, promoted the ethical treatment of elephants, with its camp where mahouts (handlers) and pachyderms co-exist in a safe, peaceful and natural setting – a benchmark for sustainability.
Thailand is making its long-awaited comeback with the resumption of quarantine-free international travel. To support the Thailand’s long-awaited reopening, Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas has launched the ‘Time for Thailand’ travel campaign. From street food vendors and spa therapists to Tuk Tuk drivers, the people of Thailand are sending a clear message to visitors from across the globe that they are ready to welcome you back.
A new video captures not only the beauty of the Kingdom’s landscapes but more-so the smiles and warmth of the Thai people – something frequent visitors to the kingdom know so well.
Anantara, who has its roots firmly in the local soil and whose story started in 2001 with the opening of a luxury resort in Thailand’s historic seaside retreat of Hua Hin, offers some of the country’s most iconic experiences. From urban sophistication at Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel to wildlife encounters at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort and beachfront oases across the South, the brand’s Thailand portfolio is a treasure trove of immersive, hyper-local experiences.
“With our ‘Time for Thailand’ campaign, we are sending a clear global message of anticipation, excitement and belonging,” said Dillip Rajakarier, Group CEO of Minor International and CEO of Minor Hotels, parent company of Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas. “We want everyone, whether this is their first trip to Thailand or fifth, to feel welcome in the knowledge that the people of Thailand are welcoming them back with their genuine warm hospitality.”
From the 1st November 2021, Anantara guests are welcome to visit all of their favourite destinations after meeting the government’s health and safety requirements under the new ‘Test & Go’ scheme that offers a safe and seamless arrival in Thailand with a PCR test on arrival. Fully vaccinated travellers from non-approved countries can enjoy travel to Thailand in a choice of popular ‘Blue Zone’ destinations, while all non-vaccinated travellers will need to complete a mandatory ASQ hotel quarantine.
Let’s all keep the country smiling and say, it’s ‘Time for Thailand’. For more information about Anantara’s ‘Time for Thailand’ campaign or the ‘Test & Go’ scheme, visit https://www.anantara.com/en/thailand-reopening-offers
Fully vaccinated travellers from 63 countries can now visit Thailand without quarantine, bringing the world even closer to Thailand’s lush landscapes, sparkling beaches, renowned food, and hospitable locals.
To welcome travellers back, hotel group Accor has launched its ‘For the Love of Amazing Thailand’ campaign with savings of up to 30% at more than 70 hotels and resorts across the Land of Smiles.
To celebrate of the return to travel, the reopening of Thailand, and the joy of great hotel stays, Accor has also launched a short-film entitled ‘Unveil Thailand’, to inspire travellers to rediscover the country.
The video is part of Accor’s global campaign which encourages people to experience the beauty, depth and meaning that travel brings to their lives. American dancer and choreographer Lil Buck leads the campaign as he unveils a hotel lobby, ready to welcome guests again.
Lil Buck said: “We’re showing you in our own artistic way that you’ll be able to unveil and enjoy your world. This summer make sure you give yourself an opportunity to enjoy yourself, go fly, go somewhere you always wanted to go, go to your dream place because we never know when we will be stuck in the house again.”
For more information or to make a reservation check out Accor Hot Deals.
In a series of Facebook videos, Aussie expats living in Phuket welcome Australians to the Phuket Sandbox, explaining how the program works, and with lots of recommendations on where to go and what to see!
Live, Work & Play in Phuket
Ayla Lewis-Watson
Ayla and her family of sailors found themselves ‘stuck’ in Thailand after sailing there is 2020, and they are “very happy to be stuck here” and thoroughly enjoying their new lifestyle, living in a Bangtao villa, with their two young daughters attending the Headstart International School. You can follow Ayla’s family adventures on Facebook at Troppo Travels. Watch Ayla’s video here.
Nic Edgerton
Nic is a 32-year old online fitness trainer who has been visiting Phuket for 11 years, and is now delighted to call the island home. Follow Nic on Instagram at @nicdreamteamedgy. Watch Nik’s video here.
Celeste Hansen
Celeste is a professional Muay Thai fighter who has been living in Phuket for over five years, and loves the mix of beach life and night life. Watch Celeste’s video here.
Find out what there expats think about living, working and playing in Phuket here.
Introducing the Phuket Sandbox
Our expats share their recommendations on embracing the Phuket Sandbox here.
Hands Across the Water was founded in 2005 to help children orphaned by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. Since then, through various fundraising programs, the Australian charity has raised over $27 million, dollars and now runs seven homes and projects throughout Thailand, supporting over 350 Thai children and their communities.
The foundation’s annual Ride to Provide is an epic long-distance bike ride, covering 800 scenic kilometres along the Gulf of Thailand in eight days. Money raised provides critical funding for this remarkable charity.
While borders are closed, Hand Across the Water has launched challenge here in Australia. The 100k Challenge for the month of September is a challenge to help raise $100k. The challenge invites individuals, work place colleagues, families and friends to join the Foundation and walk, run, swim, or ride their way towards 100km in the month of September.
There will be lots of engagement points through the month with various activities people may wish to join including the launch of the Podcast Hands Heroes where founder Peter Baines will be having conversations with some pretty extraordinary people.
We have long enjoyed your support and this is our small way of returning value during these challenging times.
The challenge is FREE to join and no minimum fundraising. Check out the challenge and share it with those who you feel may enjoy the incentive to move a little more in September and hear from the kids in Thailand that Hands Across the Water supports.
With Phuket and Ko Samui now open to fully vaccinated international visitors, local tourism operators are hoping to welcome guests back to a rejuvenated and more sustainable Thailand.
While the world stood still, across Thailand, operators have been working to improve infrastructure, care for the local environment and learn how to operate more sustainably. Operators in Phuket and Ko Samui have paid particular attention to their precious coastal and marine environment.
Some improvements have been intentional, most notably the closure of tourist hot spots, Maya Bay, Ko Tachai and Ko Yoong areas within the marine parks. Some changes have taken place naturally due to the absence of mass tourism, such as endangered leatherback turtles returning to Phuket’s sandy shores to lay their eggs.
Sharks return to Maya Bay
Danny Boyle’s film ‘The Beach’ made Maya Bay as famous as it is. The depiction of a hedonistic secret paradise in Thailand’s hidden crystal-clear bay encouraged a huge surge in tourism to the area. Despite the fact that ‘The Beach’ was supposed to be located in the Gulf of Thailand, closer to Samui, Ko Phang Ngan and Ko Tao, Maya Bay was the location chosen for the film, for its magnificent limestone cliffs and enticing turquoise waters. This fame came at a price, influencing thousands of tourists to visit the small bay.
Images: Shutterstock
With hundreds of speedboats and hordes of people littering the bay each day, a visit to the iconic Thai attraction was no longer a thing of beauty, it was downright unpleasant. The authorities closed Maya Bay completely back in 2018, to help regenerate and preserve the bay, and the results have been outstanding.
Images: Thomas Gottschalk, Sea Bees Diving
The closure of Maya Bay is a testament to Thailand’s efforts to address the negative impacts of tourism on marine life. According to Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Maya Bay is now home to well over 100 black-tip reef sharks, the highest shark population in Thai waters.
Leatherback turtles nest in Phuket
With the closure of beaches during Phuket’s first lockdown and the drastic reduction in tourist numbers and light pollution, rare Leatherback turtles have returned to the beaches to lay their eggs. Leatherbacks are the world’s largest species of sea turtles and are listed as endangered in Thailand. Dr Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong, the director of the Phuket Marine Biological Center, said this is the greatest number of leatherback sea turtle nests that Thailand’s beaches have seen in 20 years.
Images: Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Phuket
Boat Operators cleanup Ko Tao
Over in the gulf of Thailand, the small island if Ko Tao has been particularly affected by border closures, with some 90 per cent of the island’s boat operators now out of work.
Ko Tao has struggled to manage the estimated 30 tons of waste a day left by tourists in recent years, and this year’s lull has provided its marine ecosystems with much-needed respite.
“Without tourists, the coral reef ecosystem is recovering quite well,” says Niran Nirannoot, project manager for BIOFIN in Thailand. “But there are some areas where we need to provide support for conservation. The local government is aware that if they do not preserve the ecosystem, they may not be able to attract tourists to come back.”
Images: BIOFIN
Starting in December, the 200 boat operators are being paid a monthly sum of THB 3,000 (USD 100) – raised entirely through the crowdfunding campaign – to clear waste and marine debris from the island’s beaches and waters. They will also be provided with training in financial literacy, courtesy of Krung Thai Bank (KTB), one of the project’s main sponsors.
So far, the campaign has raised THB 1.81 million (USD 60,000), with KTB chipping in THB 583,000 (USD 19,000). Donations from within Thailand make up over 90 percent of contributions.
Sustainable Diving: Andaman Sea
Phuket-based Holger Schwab, Managing Director of Sea Bees Diving, says, “Pandemics may be awful, but they are teaching us valuable lessons. Most of those lessons relate to humans’ treatment of the Earth. It’s possible that these lessons will spark a long-term change in conservation. Perhaps this means a different type of tourism model in the future, slower and more considerate of the ecosystem we are working within”.
Diveplanit Travel
Shutterstock
Sea Bees Diving
Diveplanit Travel
Images: Diveplanit Travel and Sea Bees Diving
Scuba diving in the Andaman Sea can often offer some of the best experiences in the world, thanks to its dazzling and colourful marine life, with world-class dive sites including Richelieu Rock, Ko Ha, Hin Deang and Hin Muang.
During the first stages of reopening the region to tourism, Phuket can now offer much richer underwater experiences to visitors, with the most sought-after diving spots now much quieter and a joy to dive.
“We are seeing an increase in certain species, there’s more anemonefish and barracuda in the Andaman Sea than ever before.
“A more sustainable approach to enjoying our underwater world has been needed for a long time, and we hope that the effects of the pandemic prove to be positive in this regard for the marine parks in the Andaman region”.
To celebrate the launch of the ‘Phuket Sandbox’, as Phuket opens international borders to fully vaccinated visitors, the Tourism Authority of Thailand Sydney Office would like to enhance your first visit back to Phuket with a spa voucher and a complimentary half-day tour.
The vouchers are eligible for travellers departing from Australia with valid Certificate of Entry (COE), travelling to Thailand no later than 30th September 2021 under the Phuket Sandbox program.
Spa Vouchers
Tropical Retreat Spa, Laguna
Indulge yourself with the ultimate spa experience with highly trained therapists at Oasis Spa Phuket, at the Tropical Retreat Spa in Laguna.
Terms and conditions This offer is valid for travellers to Thailand under “Phuket Sandbox” program with valid Certificate of Entry (COE) number departing from Australia. Travellers must travel to Phuket before 30th September 2021. Vouchers are available for first 300 eligible travellers. The voucher is non-transferable, non-refundable, and not redeemable for cash. The voucher must be presented upon arrival and is available for use at Oasis Spa (Tropical Retreat Spa, Laguna Phuket. Tel. 076 337777) Pre-booking is required and subject to availability.
Complimentary Half Day Tours
Option 1 PES Canopy Walkway (Phuket Elephant Sanctuary)
This 90-minute program is a first-of-its kind experience in Thailand and takes ethical tourism to new heights – literally! Explore our new, 500 meter-long canopy walkway and observe 12 rescued elephants as they roam, forage, bathe and socialise freely in the jungle below.
Our tour guides will be happy to share the story of each elephant, and to provide you with interesting facts about the largest land mammal on earth. The program also includes an opportunity to feed some of the elephants, as well as a complimentary T-Shirt.
At the end of the tour we serve refreshing iced sodas and unlimited snacks from our snack bar while you can rest and enjoy the serenity of the sanctuary. Transfer Joined roundtrip transfers included from any accommodation in the Phuket province and back to the same location.
Option 2 Half Day Phuket City
Old Phuket Town
There is a lot to see of Phuket away from its pretty beaches. This sightseeing tour takes us inland to Phuket Town, home to the small enclave of Phuket Old Town which is brimming with Sino-Portuguese architecture. Exploring this part of the island takes us back to yesteryear when Phuket was in the midst of a tin boom that brought its initial affluence and its grand architecture.
We then head to Phromthep Cape which has sublime views across the water, making it a popular photography spot.
Phromthep Cape
Transfer Transfers included from any accommodation in the Phuket province and back to the same location.
How to Claim:
Email: info@thailand.net.au with scanned Certificate of Entry (COE) Tel: 029247 7549
Last week, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) managed an innovative hybrid event to show case Thailand’s tourism promotion strategy to a roomful of travel agents at Dolton House in Sydney, and a whole lot more throughout the country via a live online streaming event.
The afternoon’s presentations were inspiring, explaining the Kingdom’s strategy to reopen borders, a heightened focus on sustainable tourism and updates from over 20 Thai suppliers, airlines, hotels and attractions.
In between presentations, delegates enjoyed a delicious Thai lunch and enjoyed a cooking demonstration by Chat Thai’s celebrated chef; Palisa Anderson.
TAT Sydney Director Suladda Sarutilavan explained Thailand’s C-A-T policy for tackling the ever-changing the ever-changing situation:
C for COPE. Cope and react to the situation, putting wellbeing and safety first.
A for ADAPT. Implementing change through innovation and digital technology.
T for TRANSFORM. Thailand is transforming to Quality Tourism, with a goal to enrich the experience for tourists, and the environment.
The TAT Sydney Team
Roadmap to Recovery
The roadmap to reopening in Thailand starts with the ‘Phuket Sandbox’. Phuket will be the first region to open to vaccinated tourists on 1 July 2021, with an aim to have 70 per cent of the population vaccinated by the time borders open.
Then on 1 October, other major tourist destinations will follow suit including Krabi, Phang Nga, Surat Thani (including Ko Samui, Ko Phangan and Ko Tao), Chonburi (including Pattaya) and Chiang Mai.
Wellness and Responsible Travel
Two tourism categories that are a focus of TAT’s marketing efforts are wellness and responsible travel. Thailand is a destination that offers numerous world-class wellness retreats, that help you achieve any fitness goals.
The other focus is Responsible Travel which can be achieved by considering all tourism implications towards the environment, wildlife, plantations, to Thai locals.
“Our aim is to provide tourists with a more meaningful experience.”
Marketing in Lockdown
TAT has sponsored and partnered with several local events in Australia, to keep Thailand top-of-mind with all those Aussies with a pent-up desire to travel as soon as borders open.
With the family travel market in mind, TAT participated at this year’s Sydney Royal Easter Show and collaborated with NRL’s South Sydney Rabbitohs.
To highlight Thailand’s efforts to support and promote marine conservation and responsible tourism, TAT, in collaboration with the Thai Consulate Sydney, took part in a beach and underwater clean-up at Chowder Bay in Mosman.
Slow food, slow tourism.
To highlight Thailand’s gastronomy tourism strategy, Chat Thai’s Palisa Anderson gave a cooking demonstration with a difference, introducing a captivated audience to traditional Thai ingredients, and explaining the importance of using local seasonal produce, a strategy many of Thailand’s resorts have adopted to support local producers.
Thailand Experts
Also launched at the event, TAT’s new online training program for agents, an opportunity to upskill your knowledge of Thailand and new developments to the Kingdom’s tourism infrastructure, presented at the hybrid event by marketing manager Sherly Handjojo.
