Ocean Property and Siam Seaplane, Thailand’s premier amphibious seaplane service provider, will launch a seaplane facility at Ocean Marina Jomtien, which will offer a luxurious travel experience along Thailand’s vibrant eastern coast.
The facility will allow for water landings and takeoffs, granting travellers swift access to luxury yacht charters, convenient stays at the Ocean Marina Resort, and expedited travel within the Chonburi area and beyond.
Siam Seaplane will offer both local scenic flights and broader connections, linking Jomtien with major Thai destinations such as Bangkok, Hua Hin, Rayong, Koh Chang, Koh Samui, and Phuket.
Professional on-ground teams, trained by Siam Seaplane and in compliance with regulatory standards, will ensure an “impeccable guest experience” promised both parties in their joint press statement.
Ahead of the official launch, Ocean Property, in collaboration with Siam Scenic – a branch of Siam Seaplane – will offer an array of ground-to-ground charter and scenic flights. These flights will connect U-tapao airport with major domestic hubs such as Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Hua Hin, and Samui airports, in addition to private airfields like Best Ocean Airpark and Klong 11.
Adventure enthusiasts can also look forward to reaching Dropzone Thailand in Klaeng Rayong and the private airstrip at Rancho Charnvee Resort and Golf Course in Khao Yai.
Furthermore, this partnership extends to incorporate Ocean Property’s affiliated hotels and resorts in Hua Hin, Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok, enhancing connectivity and enriching the travel experience for all guests.
Napong Pariponpochanapisuti, managing director, Ocean Property said: “Ocean Marina Jomtien has always been at the forefront of redefining the luxury marina experience. Collaborating with Siam Seaplane elevates this to new heights, offering our guests an extraordinary way to discover the beauty of Thailand’s eastern seaboard with the utmost style and convenience.”
Worakanya Siripidej, CEO, Siam Seaplane, said: “This landmark partnership with Ocean Property is testament to Siam Seaplane’s vision of transforming travel in Thailand. Our mission is to offer an unrivalled experience that begins the moment our guests take off from the majestic Ocean Marina Jomtien and extends to every corner of the country’s stunning landscapes.”
Chinese outbound travellers polled by Dragon Trail International (DTI) six weeks before the May Day holiday reveal emerging trends on preferred information and booking source and type of media, and new attitudes towards spending.
According to Sienna Parulis-Cook, director of marketing and communications, DTI, the key takeaways from the latest survey are as follows: Chinese social media and e-commerce platform Xiaohongshu is the leading source of destination information; video content has the deepest impact; the traveller is price conscious but is willing to spend; outbound travel intent is much higher than in 2023; there are more plans to venture beyond Asia; and the perception is the world is safer than before.
In ranking channels used for destination information, Janice Meng, market research analyst, DTI, said Xiaohongshu was top at 52 per cent, Douyin 43 per cent, Ctrip 37 per cent, and tying with friends, family and acquaintances, and 36 per cent bloggers and key opinion leaders.
Elaborating on booking channels, Meng noted 60 per cent would pick domestic platforms likes Ctrip and Qunar, 38 per cent via travel agents and social platforms like Xiaohongshu and WeChat; 27 per cent directly on official airline and hotel sites; 23 per cent with offline traditional travel agencies; 22 per cent with domestic review-sharing platform like Mafengwo, 21 per cent on international booking platform like Booking.com, and 17 per cent on online traditional travel agencies.
She noted current attitudes on outbound travel spending show 58 per cent “considering carefully to get the best value for money”, and 14 per cent choosing products with the best price.
Parulis-Cook added: “Chinese travellers are definitely price conscious right now, are seeking value for money, and actually see outbound travel as delivering better value for money compared to domestic trips, especially during Chinese national holiday periods.
At the same time, Meng pointed out that 11 per cent of respondents said they would choose the best products and services regardless of cost and, and another 11 pet cent said they were willing to increase their budget for better experiences.
Based on international departure ticketing data as of early-April. Nancy Dai, China market expert, ForwardKeys, who also spoke at the webinar, cited demand from China for European destinations was being driven by affluent travellers
Dai said the percentage difference for premium travel in 2Q2024 vs 2Q2019 was only minus three per cent; and the top-three destinations of Geneva increased 105 per cent, Copenhagen 55 per cent and Madrid 49 per cent.
In summing up which overseas destination marketing initiatives had the biggest impact among those polled, Meng shared the top three destinations were Thailand, Singapore and Japan; Douyin, Xiaohongshu and TV for platforms; cuisine, scenery and culture for content; and video, live streaming and advertisements for delivery preference format.
Popular reality shows also succeeded in familiarising Chinese audiences with overseas destinations, like in the case of Iceland featuring in the TV show Divas Hit the Road, Meng added.
There were 1,015 survey responses and Parulis-Cook pointed out that 56 per cent of respondents were female.