Australia is on track to deliver a record number of visitors to Thailand as the country prepares for a seismic shift in its tourism strategy.
Already this year some 336,857 Aussies have visited the Kingdom of Smiles, representing a 15.3 per cent increase on the same period last year.
The figures were released in an exclusive interview by Traveltalk with Miss Pattaraanong Na Chiangmai, Deputy Governor for International Marketing – Asia and the South Pacific for Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
The Deputy Governor said the encouraging figures could be traced back to the marketing efforts of TAT and both media and private sector support.
(Above) Ms Thapanee Kiatphaiboon, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), addresses media at TTM+2025 with Miss Pattaraanong Na Chiangmai on her right.
“I think other reasons are the product and the service in Thailand that fit the Australian market. We are also particularly working on green, sustainable tourism, which is in the heart of the Australian people.
“Maybe Australia doesn’t have the market size of other countries but the visitor growth is very good and that’s why the Australian market is very important to Thailand.”
Miss Pattaraanong was speaking during Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+) 2025 in Chiang Mai, the country’s major travel trade event, now in its 22nd year. She said it was hoped the event would become the ITB or World Travel Market of South East Asia.
This year’s gathering features more than 850 buyers and sellers, 13,000 business appointments and will generate approximately 4.2 billion baht in tourism revenue.
In the interview the Deputy Governor also expanded on comments made a day earlier which revealed that ‘soft power’ would be a key strategy going forward in selling Thailand to potential Aussie visitors.
This initiative centres on attraction and persuasion rather than coercion or payment and will initially focus on five ‘Must-Do’s’ in Thailand:
# Must Taste, centred on Thai food and the gastronomy available to visitors
# Must Try, including Muay Thai and other local activities
# Must Buy, promoting Thai products and fashion
# Must See, turning Thailand into one of the world’s biggest entertainment and festival hubs.
# Must Seek, encouraging the exploration of new destinations, off-the-beaten-track locations and other cities across the country.
“Getting visitors out into our secondary cities is a top priority for the Thai tourism industry because when tourists travel around they spend a lot more in the country areas,” said Miss Pattaraanong.
“Secondary cities may be small but they may have something unique which travellers, especially repeat travellers, are looking for. I think this will be a big attraction for tourists who are looking for something new.
“But we also have to get the tourism balance right between quality and quantity. Our policy is to balance the needs of the travel destination with sustainable tourism.”
Asked what it is about Thailand that appeals so much to Aussie visitors, Miss Pattaraanong said it was “like going back home”.
“It’s the atmosphere and the Thai people. We are open to any kind of people from any kind of society.”
https://thailandtravelmartplus.com/
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