2015 Discover Thailand is going into to the annals of Thai tourism history as just an average campaign – at a time when Thailand badly needs an amazing one
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)’s 2015 Discover Thainess is an average campaign, when what is needed is something extraordinary, according to the trade.
The campaign was launched at the end of last year, after the imposition of martial law in May, nationwide curfews and a government comprising unelected men in green had damaged Brand Thailand. International arrivals suffered their greatest decline in recent memory, falling 6.6 per cent to 24.7 million by end-2015.
In that light, what many felt was needed to restore confidence was a dynamic initiative reminiscent of the highly successful Amazing Thailand, which made the kingdom a leading destination in the region. Thailand, after all, is the mastermind behind the Visit Year, which is imitated across the world even today. Alas, Discover Thainess has not brought such buzz
‘Thainess’ is an obscure, politicised and hard to define concept in concrete terms let alone base a national tourism strategy on. It has been used repeatedly in the past, when it was also criticised for being vague and ephemeral. Thawatchai Arunyik, TAT governor, gave a more focused explanation at the campaign’s launch when he said its aim was to showcase “the distinct character of the Thai people and our unique culture”, and to attract 28 million visitors generating an estimated 1.35 trillion baht (US$40 billion).
Many in the trade agree with the governor that the friendliness of Thais and the place itself are key reasons why people visit Thailand. The missed opportunity is over the messaging.
Ken Scott, managing director of Scott Asia Communications, which specialises in travel, said: “All 25 million visitors to Thailand have their own expectations and hopes of ‘My Thailand’. The TAT should conduct a campaign from the perspective of the visitor, not about a visitor discovering a rather impersonal thing, ‘Thainess’.
In a TTG Asia straw poll of seven senior executives at Thailand-based DMCs and operators, when asked how the concept ‘Thainess’ resonated with their international clients (with 1 being “not at all” and 4 meaning “very well”), the result was 2.17. Similarly, questions on the effectiveness of the campaign promoting the destination on the consumer and trade fronts scored just 2.17 and 1.67, respectively.
Chote (Tony) Soorangura, associate managing director, NS Travel & Tours, who said business got worse after the coup and who is critical of the current government for lacking the “business mindset”, feels the campaign lacks a much-needed contemporary message.
“When we communicate how good we are in terms of natural resources and culture we really miss out on telling people how modernised we are, or what our city life is like. Just recently agents from Japan and Norway told me how Thailand, especially Bangkok, is much more modern than they had thought.
“But some people still think coming to Thailand means they will see elephants on every street. This is because of the message we send to foreigners. We need to provide a bigger and more extensive picture (of what Thailand really is).”
To be fair the TAT has been in overdrive issuing a raft of press releases each day, many of which promote more dynamic tourism ideas, though a few unorthodox propositions have slipped through the net, such as one endorsing “martial law tourism” last October and a May release about “couple therapy” suggesting those in failing relationships come to rediscover each other in Thailand.
Beyond its focus on people and culture, a core initiative of Discover Thailand is to market the so-called “12 hidden gems”, provinces that are not major tourism destinations but are renowned for their unique history, culture and lifestyle. This initiative has its firm supporters.
“The 2015 Discover Thainess campaign is essential after the challenges of 2014,” said Debrah Pascoe, senior vice president sales and marketing of ONYX Hospitality Group. “With the campaign focusing on the lesser-known destinations in Thailand, it allows for visitors to rediscover Thailand outside of the beach and city destinations the country is already well-known for.”
Hans van den Born, managing director of Diethelm Travel Thailand, said developing other destinations can also aid the industry’s sustainable development. “Revamping existing destinations and highlighting the unique character is not a bad idea as such. The question is whether the tourism infrastructure is up to the standard of the ever increasing and demanding customers’ expectation levels,” he said.
Overall, Willem Niemeijer, CEO, Khiri Group, said the campaign is “quite good”. “The TV spot drives it home. After all, tourists come here in large part because of the natural hospitality, quirkiness and charm of the Thais. However, I think ‘Discover Thainess’ is a little clumsy. The Thai language version is Tee-ow Witti Thai or ‘Travel the Thai Way’ – that would connect better in English,” he said.
And therein lies the rub: Thailand’s febrile political situation leave little room for clumsiness. A more surefooted tourism strategy is needed.
This article was first published in TTG Asia, June 19, 2015 issue, on page 8.
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