The Tourism Authority of Thailand is going after the American market.

An article in the Bangkok Post, TAT targets American market after increase in arrivals, shows once again that the Tourism Authority of Thailand has got it backwards.

Tourism Authority of Thailand Hua Hin Beach

The headline says it all – the Tourism Authority of Thailand is going to target American tourists – AFTER they noticed an increase in arrivals.

American tourist arrivals jumped by 13.3% year-on-year in the January-April period to 376,181 thanks to the economic recovery in that country.

One would think that if they are already coming, you don’t need to target them. A better approach would be to find out what made them decide to come to Thailand and apply that to declining markets.

Oh, and I don’t believe the 13.3% increase or the 376,181 since most numbers issued by the Tourism Authority of Thailand are fabrications.  There may have been an increase over 2010, but not because of the “economic recovery” – it is because there are no riots in Bangkok this year (yet).

But, it does look like TAT is finally targeting niche markets:

Srisuda Wanapinyosak, director of the TAT’s New York office, said that Generations X and Y, honeymooners, gays and lesbians, medical travellers and “bohemian bourgeois” (the so-called “bobos”) are high-potential targets.

At least, they say they are.  I have yet to see anything other than the same old, lame, “Amazing Thailand” commercials that don’t target any one particular group.   I don’t think that the Tourism Authority of Thailand has figured out that there are many different markets within a country and they certainly don’t know how to target them.

Meanwhile, the TAT forecasts that next year more than 1.6 million Americans with US$6 billion worth of buying power will seek medical care abroad due to the high cost of medical treatment in their country.

Ms Srisuda said this market looks for top-quality facilities and cutting-edge medical practices. Medical standards in Thailand are of international quality, with many Western-trained doctors and reasonable medical fees, she said.

So what is the Tourism Authority of Thailand doing to market medical tourism?  Has anyone seen any TV commercials or videos on Youtube touting the high quality medical facilities in Bangkok?  I haven’t.

With the possibility of Obama-care, this could be a HUGE market for Thailand, but I see the Tourism Authority of Thailand doing absolutely nothing other than showing their lame videos that show a mish-mosh of Thailand – no specific targeting.

I have to admit that I had to look up the term “bohemian bourgeois”.  Bobos was a new one on me, though the term has been around for a while.  Guess I am out of the loop.  Anyhow, this is exactly who the Tourism Authority of Thailand should be marketing to – the rich, upper class.  It fills the bill that Prime Minister Abhisit is pursuing – he wants quality tourists and wants the Tourism Authority of Thailand to stop focusing on purely numbers of tourists. Maybe the Prime Minister knows that the numbers are all lies too.

For Gen X and Y, the market size is estimated at 132 million people. They are interested in digital technology and social media that offer good travel deals.

Another large market that the Tourism Authority of Thailand is neglecting.  Anyone seen any specials for hotels or flights to Thailand offered to the foreign markets?  All I see are specials promoted in Bangkok that give discounts to Bangkokians.  The Tourism Authority of Thailand could work with the local hotels and airlines and offer these specials online instead of at the Siam Paragon or the Queen Sirikit Convention Hall, both in Bangkok.

But, the Tourism Authority of Thailand doesn’t know how to market to foreigners, so all they do is talk, meet, conference, make up statistics, steal photos and other intellectual property, and go merrily along.

Tags: bobos bohemian bourgeois ecotourism gay generation x lesbian medical tourism TAT tourism authority of thailand