Thailand has been one of the leading tourist destinations since many years. It is all set to enhance its guest capacity and improve the services provided with the help of international brands entering the hotel industry.
Thailand is the leading tourism destination among the ASEAN countries, as per the recent report published by RNCOS “Opportunities in Thailand Tourism Industry (2007-2009)”.
The report points out that the rate of hike in the tourist inflow in Thailand is better when compared with other countries of ASEAN. The volume of foreign tourists coming to Thailand is likely to spike to nearly 15 Million this year and over 20 Million by 2011.
During the initial eight months of 2007, the total tourist arrivals improved to around 9.6 Million. This is a significant improvement from around 9.4 Million tourist visited Thailand during the same period last year. In this period, the arrivals from the Middle East increased by 20%, Europeans by 14.3% and South Asians by 10.5% whereas tourist from East Asia dropped by 3.9%.
An international real estate consultant firm in Thailand, CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), opines that the investors and international hotel operators are optimistic about the future prospects of this market, reported Bangkok Post. Thailand has been able to attract tourists from new places which include around 140,000 Russians, up by 51%, and more than 260,000 Indians, high by 14% YOY.
Thailand has the advantage of being strategically located between great tourist destinations of the West and the East and is even between those of the Northern and the Southern hemispheres.
Thailand is a member of ASEAN and is therefore in a good position to offer customized services. It can also implement joint tourism promotion schemes which have been of intense benefit to the associated countries.
The hospitality industry is also aware of this tourist influx in Thailand and has responded by planning to open up many more hotels in the country. The serviced apartment operators will also be working to lure daily guests. The international hotel operators intend to set up their brands in the country. They are not only interested in Bangkok but also resort locations like Samui, Phuket, Phangnga and Krabi.
Starwood has planned a St Regis hotel in Bangkok and W hotels in the capital and Koh Samui, the resort destination. Other major hotels due to open next year include The Regent Bangkok, Centara Grand at CentralWorld and the Sofitel Sukhumvit Bangkok.
Related Market Research Reports:
Opportunities in Thailand Tourism Industry (2007-2009)
South African Tourism Sector Analysis
Egypt Tourism Sector Analysis
