Grand Sale will break record
Buoyed by increased spending from Chinese visitors and strong domestic travel the up coming Amazing Thailand Grand Sale should yield better than expected results this year, according to the latest Visa Card assessment.
Significant growths were witnessed in both international tourist spend volume and domestic spend through Visa cards at 15% and 22% respectively.
These positive developments continue to fuel this year’s campaign, which will run from 15 June to 30 September . This year’s campaign also marks the 17th anniversary of partnership between Visa and Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Despite the varying global recovery rates across key economic markets, the decline of the Russian Rouble and other political trends that have affected Thailand tourist arrivals, Thai tourism has shown great resilience, evident in the fast recovery in the last quarter of 2014 and a strong performance in the first quarter of 2015.
According to Tourism Authority of Thailand Intelligence Centre, the number of inbound tourists has increased during Songkhran holiday period in April, as measured by the rises in international arrivals at Suvarnabhumi and Dong Mueang airports at 25.3% and 66.8% respectively.
“The travel and tourism industry is one of the main drivers of Thailand’s economy and one of the main revenue generators for Visa. It is therefore encouraging to see that Thailand remains an attractive tourist destination in spite of the global challenges, with visitor arrivals looking strong so far this year,” said Somboon Krobteeranon, Visa Country Manager, Thailand.
According to Visa, the highest contributors of inbound tourist spend in 2014 were Chinese and German travellers, up 14% and 13%. Domestic spend was up by 22% from the previous year.
Visa’s research shows travellers from different parts of the world have pronounced preferences for how they spend their budget.
Japanese travellers spend the most on restaurants, with this category taking up 16% of their total spend, while American, Australian and Emirati travellers spend more on medical tourism, taking up 11%, 17% and 18% of their spend. Russian and Chinese travellers spend the most on luxury items, at 10% of total spend.
Besides distinct spend categories, travellers also favoured specific cities in Thailand – the majority of Japanese tourists visited Bangkok and Pattaya, whereas American and Chinese travellers were more likely to visit Chiang Mai as their preferred destination.
Visa’s look at the tourism trends in Thailand is based on data for credit card holders who prefer to use their card rather than pay in cash.
