THE TOURISM Authority of Thailand (TAT) will be launching a new marketing campaign targeting couples planning to tie the knot overseas, as part of plans to entice the India outbound market.
TAT’s intentions were first announced at a media briefing at PATA Travel Mart 2011 in New Delhi.
A promotional wedding package, which is being offered jointly with Thai Airways, will run from October 1 to December 31. Couples who book economy air tickets directly with Thai Airways for themselves and their wedding party to Thailand will receive a free upgrade to business class. Elephants, drummers and dancers will welcome the couple and their guests upon initial arrival at the hotel. This offer is limited to the first 50 couples, on a first come, first served basis.
Sethaphan Buddhani, director based in TAT’s Mumbai office, said the Thai national tourism body had organised a series of fam trips for Indian wedding planners to Bangkok, Hua Hin, Phuket, Krabi and Chiangmai over the last two years.
The TAT is also in discussions with the Royal Thai Customs department to address the issue of import taxes levied on Indian couples bringing in their wedding jewellery. A solution is yet to be finalised, but the problem will be resolved sooner rather than later, said Buddhani, adding that this would persuade more Indian couples to hold their weddings in Thailand, which he believes costs “only a third of what is normally forked out in India”.
According to Buddhani, Indian weddings in Thailand last for a minimum of three days, and in some instances, up to 1,000 guests are invited.
He added that TAT Mumbai branch handled 11 weddings in 2010, but was unable to provide exact figures for the New Delhi office. Nonetheless, he suggested that New Delhi often handled significantly higher volumes than the Mumbai branch.
A press release published by TAT in June revealed that over 100 large-scale Indian weddings were organised in Thailand last year. “We hope to increase the number of Indian weddings by 15 per cent year-on-year by the end of 2011,” Buddhani said.
