The Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) has predicted that Chinese tourist arrivals late this year will drop to about 7,000 a day, from 10,000-12,000, as a result of a warning issued by the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok in October.
The ATTA is urging the government to restore Chinese tourist confidence, ahead of the Chinese New Year holidays early next year, and to review its dependence on campaigns to promote low-cost tourism by shifting to encouraging higher long-term visitor spending and supporting tourism services that create positive experiences and impressions.
Meanwhile, Minister of Digital Economy and Society Chaichanok Chidchob said they are supporting the Big Data Institute (BDI) in developing its D2 platform into a ‘National Data Backbone’ to facilitate data integration across government agencies. This will include tourism data covering a visitor’s journey before arriving, during their stay in Thailand and upon their departure.
He said that the information will help officials to understand their needs and preferences better, identify their demands and develop services that suit their needs.
ATTA Secretary-General Adith Chairattananon said that data has become a critical, competitive edge in the tourism industry, because it helps government and business to analyse tourist behaviour, to forecast market trends and to assess risks in real time.
BDI Director Dr. Tiranee Achalakul said that developing an effective data system requires cooperation from data owners, users, technology developers and local authorities.
Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said that Thailand should do more than increasing tourist arrivals and generate greater economic value and offering experiences tailored to the preferences of different visitor groups.
The TAT, she said, plans to strengthen the use of market intelligence to analyse tourist behaviours, preferences and motivations.
