Tourism Authority of Thailand signs marketing pacts with THAI, Cendant and Wholesalers

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has signed two wide-ranging marketing agreements with the national airline, Thai Airways International, Cendant Travel Distribution Services as well as 52 top tour operators and wholesalers in 16 countries and territories.

Signed on July 15, 2004, at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC), the pacts are designed to give a significant boost to the Thailand’s tourism promotion efforts at a time when travel movements world-wide are being affected by various factors beyond the industry’s control.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Mrs. Juthamas Siriwan said, "These agreements are in fact partnerships, all designed to create a win-win situation that will directly benefit each of the partners as well as Thailand at large."

"It will help us ensure maximum exposure for our tourism promotion campaigns and products, diversify our tourism source markets and get access to new consumers and potential travellers around the world."

The partnerships comprise of two parts:

One agreement with Thai Airways International, the national airline, and US global travel giant Cendant Travel Distribution Services will tap into THAI Airways’ own marketing resources as well as those of its 15 Star Alliance partners, including their frequent flyer programmes. It will also give TAT access to the power of Cendant’s various brands, travel websites and customer loyalty programmes.

The second agreement is a Memorandum of Understanding with 52 wholesalers in 16 countries and territories to promote and develop high quality tour packages in their respective home markets.

The first agreement with THAI Airways and Cendant is a strategic partnership that will feature utilizing their successfully and highly varied distribution channels such as membership schemes, magazines and newsletters, electronic marketing as well as incentive programmes and affiliate networks.

Mr. Bob Coggin, Vice Chairman of Cendant TDS, said this is the first time that Cendant TDS has worked with both a national tourism organization and a national airline to promote travel to a country.

"We touch many points along the travel distribution channel and are ideally positioned to develop multiple campaigns in response to the TAT’s brief," he said.

The initial campaigns will focus on encouraging visitors to Thailand from six key markets: the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa, with other geographic markets to be targeted in the future.

Mr. Coggin said, "We are working with TAT and Thai Airways at every level including identifying targeted segments of the tourist market, the best channel to reach a given market segment, contracting additional content as required and jointly creating advertising and promotion activity."

One example of such a campaign is using Cendant’s consumer websites to promote specific Thai cities to families, students or honeymooners. Thai Airways can promote its international and domestic flights through these websites.

Thai hotel chains and resorts, including those already on the Cendant TDS websites, as well as new suppliers can also participate.

This TAT agreement with Cendant TDS and THAI Airways fits perfectly with the Memorandum of Understanding to be signed with the 52 wholesalers, of which 24 are in China and 10 in Hong Kong, further broadening the depth of geographical exposure for Thai tourism products and campaigns.

Other wholesalers and tour operators are from Scandinavia (3), Taiwan and Russia (2 each), and one each from Australia, Brazil, Finland, France, Germany, Macau, Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden, UK, and USA.

The MOUs will commit both sides to work together to draw more visitors to Thailand during the periods of special campaign promotions and events by developing new "High Quality Tour Packages", details of which are to be discussed individually with each of the operators.

Mrs. Juthamas said, "These agreements will create strong partnerships at various levels and help us hit our target of 12 million visitor arrivals in 2004."

"In an era of high competition for the tourist dollar, TAT needs to quickly find new strategies and adjust its marketing plans to effectively attract visitors in an era when the very nature of crises is changing."

Visitor arrivals to Thailand during the first quarter of 2004 totalled 2.97 million, an increase of 4.39% over the same period of 2003.