Thailand eyes free individual travelers from Vietnam
By Mong Binh - The Saigon Times Daily
|
| TAT executive Pichai Raktasinha promotes Thailand’s health and spa services at a meeting with corporate guests in HCMC on Wednesday - Photo: Mong Binh |
HCMC - The HCMC office of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is developing plans to attract free individual travelers and tourist groups from Vietnam.
Pichai Raktasinha, the office’s director, told the Daily on Wednesday that while customers who purchased group packages were important, the office wanted to tap the growing free individual travelers (FIT) market.
“For many years, Thailand has become a package tour destination. It’s time to start targeting FIT tourists,” Pichai said after a meeting to promote Thailand’s health and spa services in HCMC on Wednesday.
He added that many Vietnamese people regularly traveled to Thailand and other nations. Now though, it is time for them to plan their own tours, he said. “I believe Thailand is one of their choices, especially for repeat travelers.”
Pichai added that more flights between Vietnam and Thailand had made it easier for them to travel between the two nations. He said the number of young Vietnamese people who had flown with Thai AirAsia to Phuket since the low-cost carrier launched its daily service between HCMC and the tourist destination last year had increased markedly.
Phuket is renowned for its array of tourist attractions, including its many spas. Pichai said Vietnamese FIT tourists could choose from thousands of spas in Phuket.
Thai hospitals are touting health packages to Vietnamese tourists too. Pichai said some hospitals had employees who could speak Vietnamese. He added that these hospitals were preparing to attract Vietnamese patients who wanted to combine their tours with planned health checks or treatments.
Pichai said Thai hospitals had attracted numerous guests from Cambodia and Myanmar. While just 5,000 Vietnamese people have traveled to Thailand for medical care in the past Pichai said it could be a very lucrative market.
Surapong Ambhanwong, chief medical and international business officer at PHYATHAI Hospital, told the Daily that treatment prices in Thailand were competitive compared to other regional countries and two-thirds of the cost in western countries.
Pichai said more products and marketing would help Thailand attract more visitors from Vietnam this year. In 2009, more than 362,000 Vietnamese people toured Thailand, up 7.8% compared to 2008 and well higher than the TAT office’s 300,000 target.
Pichai said FIT tourists accounted for 18% of total Vietnamese visitors to Thailand. He said this figure would continue to increase significantly.