DUBBED Thailand’s legacy beach resort destination, Hua Hin is traditionally dominated by the domestic Thai weekend market but a rising tide of new hotels and attractions has continued to diversify its offerings and enable suppliers to attract a wider client base.
Better infrastructure, interesting attractions ranging from vineyards to temple caves, as well as upcoming internationally branded properties like Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa and So Sofitel Hua Hin spell “exciting” times ahead for Go Vacation Thailand’s director of business development, Tobias Fischer.
“Europeans have always been a repeat market, and Hua Hin has always been a good extension destination for the more senior travellers,” said Fischer. “(With the new developments), Hua Hin will become more appealing to the younger travellers as well as families (from the longhaul market).”
As observed throughout Thailand, the growth market of China is also spreading into secondary destinations like Hua Hin. “Over 2015, the Asian markets are growing rapidly for Hua Hin and we’re seeing visitors from China, Taiwan and South Korea focusing on the destination,” noted Pattamaporn Soparat, director of sales at the 77-key So Sofitel Hua Hin, which will open its doors in February.
The first So Sofitel resort in Asia will leverage the brand’s design-centric ethos to pursue a “balanced” portfolio comprising longhaul, MICE and regional markets to spread occupancies throughout the week, she added.
Similarly, Srayut Ekahitanonda, CEO of the 40-room Let’s Sea Hua Hin Al Fresco Resort and the newly launched 47-room Loligo Resort Hua Hin, will target repeat guests, families and friends as its core markets for the latter property.
“We cannot rely on the Thai weekender market only; we need mixed markets,” he said.
There is little doubt that Thai and foreign travel interest in Hua Hin will continue to grow, but unlike Pattaya on the eastern seaboard, which has benefited tremendously from improvements in highways to place it a 1.5-hour drive from Bangkok, it still takes at least 2.5 hours by road to reach Hua Hin from the capital.
Hence, direct air links connecting inland destinations like Chiang Mai or Luang Prabang would enable tour operators to bypass Bangkok and better promote Hua Hin as part of a multi-destination itinerary, Srayut posited. Kan Air’s existing Chiang Mai-Hua Hin service has not been well promoted and its limited frequency and seats also made it a harder sell for the trade, he told TTG Asia e-Daily.
For Hua Hin to successfully develop as week-long, year-round destination, it must retain its unique selling points to avoid the risk of becoming “another Pattaya”, industry members pointed out.
Urged Pattamaporn: “Hua Hin has everything already. I would not prefer anything new but for existing operators like Cicada Market and Vana Nava Hua Hin Water Park to maintain its local character and not become overly commercialised.”
