GLOBAL travel distributor GTA is partnering hotels and the Thai NTO in an expansive campaign aimed at bringing Asia’s FIT travellers back to the Land of Smiles.
Launched last week during Thailand’s Songkran celebrations, Thailand Smiles Again targets key Asian source markets: China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.
For travel trade professionals, GTA is working with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to bring travel consultants on fam trips to Thailand.
Travel consultants can also make use of GTA’s new G-Shop loyalty promotion that grants them points for each booking made with GTA at Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ properties in Thailand.
A tie-up with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has produced a Stay 3 Pay 1 deal that allows guests to save 66 per cent of regular rates at five properties in Bangkok, one in Chiang Mai and one in Pattaya.
GTA has also said it is partnering TAT’s Sabaai Sabaai promotion for Japanese travellers.
Daryl Lee, vice president of sales for Asia, GTA, said: “This is the first time we have supported a recovery campaign on such a large scale. TAT has turned to us because of our longstanding relationship with brands like IHG and Starwood Hotels & Resorts, which allow us to offer great deals that will attract travellers back to Thailand.”
“Furthermore the extensive network we have established with travel consultants means we can quickly call on them to participate in trips to get a true picture of how inviting the destination remains.”
According to GTA’s press release, initial forecasts have estimated the fallout from Bangkok’s political unrest in the first two quarters of the year to total at least US$2.7 billion.
Industry experts have expressed concerns that low hotel occupancies will not recover until a solution to the political crisis has been solved (TTG Asia e-Daily, April 22, 2014).
