AccorHotels has partnered Hong Kong’s Golden Horse Group to open a Swissôtel in Australia’s Gold Coast come 2019, its second in the country after Swissôtel Sydney.

The A$60 million (US$64.9 million) new-build will be built within the Peter Thomson-designed, 18-hole Links Hope Island Golf Course precinct in the Hope Island district, a 45-minute drive from Brisbane International Airport and Gold Coast International Airport.

Swissôtel Gold Coast Hope Island Resort will offer 150 guestrooms across three levels and feature a spa and wellness centre, pool, children’s play area, fitness centre, conferencing facilities for up to 300 people and a restaurant to complement the existing golf course facilities.

Less than a quarter of hotels in Phuket (429 out of 1,724) are licensed six months on from the January 31 deadline set for offending hotels to become registered, according to C9 Hotelworks.

Of the 1,295 unlicensed hotels identified in Phuket, only six have had their licenses approved. A further 1,001 are pending approval, while 288 have not yet applied.

C9 Hotelworks’ managing director, Bill Barnett, said that a disconnect in regulation could be hindering the licensing process.

“Phuket’s provincial government has undertaken an admirable large-scale initiative to tackle the proliferation of unlicensed hotels,” Barnett said. “Currently the main challenges for the process are the strict regulations associated with the Thailand-wide Building Control and Hotel Act.

“As a result of these mandates, the province is considering reviewing the requirements to support the conversation process,” he added.

Local authorities are under pressure to tackle this issue, as strong demand from emerging economies continues to drive a sharp increase in tourism arrivals to Phuket.

For example, Russian passenger traffic at Phuket International Airport jumped 17 per cent in the first five months of 2017, while arrivals from mainland China rose eight per cent.

Hotel development in Phuket also continues to gather pace, with C9 Hotelworks’ pipeline analysis showing 33 hotels (5,738 rooms) being developed across the island, including major global brands such as Sheraton, JW Marriott, Best Western, InterContinental, Park Hyatt, Kempinski, Ramada and Rosewood.

At the same time, private sector investment into the hotel industry is racing ahead of the public sector.

Without the ability to apply hotel tax to unlicensed properties, the island is being denied much needed revenue that could be reinvested into infrastructure.

C9 Hotelworks stresses that it remains imperative to ensure that the 1,295 unlicensed hotels currently operating in Phuket are dealt with swiftly to ensure the issue does not do damage to the island’s international reputation.

At its annual TAT Action Plan meeting yesterday, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) unveiled its 2018 marketing plan to grow the country as a preferred destination with more targeted niche marketing on the international and domestic fronts.

Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT governor, said: “Clearly the age of mass marketing is over. The future lies in sharply focussed marketing campaigns, which can deliver measurable results. These will help us maintain a strong brand presence, improve the efficiency of our marketing spend, address the seasonality factor, decongest popular destinations and establish closer cooperation with potential partners that include many industry businesses and local communities who can contribute to the success of our objectives.”

(Middle three, from left) TAT’s Yuthasak Supasorn; Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul; and TAT board’s Kalin Sarasin; with TAT executives and industry players at press conference to announce the marketing plan

For the international marketing plan strategy, which will be rolled out over the 12-month period of the 2018 fiscal year, beginning October 2017, TAT has segmented target customers worldwide ranging from first-timers to repeaters, senior citizens to sports enthusiasts. TAT will also emphasise on niche markets including weddings & honeymoons and ladies, as well as continue to create a brand image as a luxury travel destination.

A stronger emphasis will be placed on gastronomy tourism, with spotlight placed on the opening of the Michelin Guidebook Bangkok and Thailand’s hosting of the fourth UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism.

While TAT will continue to use “Amazing Thailand” for its international marketing slogan with the “Discover Amazing Stories in Amazing Thailand” tagline, in 2018 the NTO will change its marketing angle slightly with the new concept of “Open to the New Shades of Thailand” to give more depth to the presentation of Thailand’s tourism, grow the business for grassroots tourism sector players and enhance the country’s image as a land of amazing diversity worth discovering further.

In the domestic market, TAT will train its sights on increasing the travel frequency of potential groups (seniors, millennials, families, multi-generation and ladies) with the “Unique Thai Local Experience” slogan in 2018.

Some examples of new initiatives for domestic marketing by TAT include creating awareness of waste management during local festivals, promoting creative gastronomy and building tourism networks to be environmentally conscious.

In 1H2017, Thailand received reached 17 million international arrivals and a revenue of 876 billion baht, of which the China market was the top generator followed by Russia and Malaysia. The Thai government has set a growth of not less than eight per cent increase in tourism revenue for 2018.

Europe is planning a series of eight educational conferences and B2B matchmaking events targeted at the US and China, set for launch in 2018, which has been designated EU-China Tourism year.

Recognising that many intercontinental tourists see Europe as a unified destination, the Partnerships in European Tourism programme will focus on themes and routes of interest to the visitor – such as family travel, culture, film and TV, lifestyle and romance – instead of specific countries, cities or sights.

Tourists at Jungfrau, Switzerland

The programme will kick off with its first event in Venice on January 19, 2018, while the second will take place in Berlin in March, coinciding with ITB Berlin. The conference and matchmaking workshop will focus on Europe’s culture, pan-European itineraries (such as river cruising) and group tours.

The third conference will be held in April in Beijing, with an emphasis on family travel and catering to European companies seeking to tap outbound demand from China.

Details on subsequent events in China and the US will be announced later.

The programme is funded by the European Commission and delivered by a consortium made up of the European Tourism Association (ETOA), the European Travel Commission and the European Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (ECTAA).

Tom Jenkins, CEO, ETOA, said: “The Partnerships in European Tourism programme… recognises the high value of strong business relationships between supplier companies in the EU and potential customers in external origin markets.”

Added Michel de Blust, secretary general of ECTAA: “This initiative provides a unique opportunity to strengthen tourism relationships with strategic partners in third country markets, with a view to increasing travel and tourism. It will also foster cooperation among European tourism companies for the promotion of EU transnational products.”