WEDDING AND INCENTIVE SEGMENTS TO THAILAND REMAIN STRONG
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Thailand remains one of the most popular tourist destinations for travellers from India, especially for niche incentive tourists and parties coming for weddings and honeymoons with many such groups confirming trips to the kingdom over the next couple of months. At least three large incentive groups with 1,600 delegates in total and four large wedding groups with more than 1,500 guests have either already attended or confirmed their trips to Thailand between May and September 2014, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) New Delhi Office.
Runjuan Tongrut, Director, TAT New Delhi Office said, “Large groups such as these bring in revenue and enhance Thailand’s status as a MICE and wedding destination. Incentive groups, weddings and honeymoons have become one of the most popular niche tourist segments of Thailand’s tourism in recent years, and the Indian market makes up a large percentage of this in terms of numbers of visitors and money spent.”
Hua Hin hosted a wedding celebration in May with 400 guests flown in from India. In June another wedding party with at least 120 guests from India was held at Indigo Pearl Phuket. This month, Thailand will have the chance to welcome two wedding parties from India: a group of 400 guests at Sheraton Hua Hin Resort and Spa and another 600-person party at Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok Hotel.
Sethaphan Buddhani, Director, TAT Mumbai Office stated, “Hua Hin is has become a popular wedding destination out of India. Rayong and Trat are picking up. Of last year’s 200+ Indian weddings in Thailand, a good chunk took place across Hua Hin, Phuket, Khao Lak and Chiang Mai.”
Earlier this year in March, the TAT organised a symposium inviting Indian wedding planners and leading event organisers to explore Thailand’s top tourist destinations and learn of tourism products that would appeal to Indian couples planning to wed.
Tongrut said, “The March 2014’s wedding planner trip and symposium which covered both the quality and quantity aspects of Indian market has proven to be a tremendous success. Many bookings and trips were confirmed by large Indian groups wanting to celebrate weddings in Thailand and this shows that our recent strategies to attract high-quality Indian travellers have really paid off.”
Buddhani explained, “TAT has understood the dynamics of wedding planning in India. We ensure that we are influencing everyone from parents, to planners and to-be-weds themselves. We have a host of value-additions for the wedding segment. Additionally we offer a special welcome at either the airport or the hotel and offer either a horse or an elephant for the groom to journey on.”
India is one of Thailand’s fastest growing source markets and the biggest market from South Asia. In 2013, Indian visitors to Thailand totalled 1,049,856, up 3.61 per cent over 2012. TAT is expecting 1,070,000 Indian visitors to Thailand, generating an estimated 45.8 billion baht in tourism revenue in 2014.