GTA kicks off new partnership programme in Thailand

By Mark Elliott On Mar 24, 2016

TD Guest Writer

Guest Writers are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the specific writer directly

Pictured (from left): Niti Vongvichasvadi of the TAT, Cyndi Ng of GTA, Runjuan Tongrut of the TAT, Tanes Petsuwan of the TAT, Daryl Lee of GTA and Kittipong Prapattong of the TAT

GTA kicked off a new Strategic Partnership Program (SPP) in Thailand on Wednesday.

Launched at an event at the House on Sathorn, the new programme will see GTA partner with 64 high-end hotels across six Thai destinations: Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui, Chiang Rai, Hua Hin and Pattaya.

In tandem with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Kuoni’s travel distribution arm will actively promote these hotels in line with the TAT’s new focus on luxury tourism.

“Thailand is a very important destination for GTA. We have been bringing a lot of tourists to Thailand as it is really popular with independent travellers. We see an excellent opportunity now to partner with Tourism Authority of Thailand and our key hotel partners to promote luxury experiences to these leisure travellers,” said GTA’s regional vice president of sales & marketing for Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, Daryl Lee.

“We understand that holidaymakers can be motivated to choose a premium room or upgrade their hotel stay if there is an attractive deal or to book a unique holiday experience that only Amazing Thailand can offer. With this programme, we hope to highlight some of the most unique luxury experiences in Thailand and introduce these new products to our vast network of travel agents worldwide.”

Of the 64 hotels participating in the SPP, 75% are five-star properties and the rest are four-star hotels. Travel agencies and wholesalers will initially be offered 10 times the ‘g shop’ reward points when booking these properties.

Thailand has ranked as one of GTA’s top three destinations for the last three years. Last year, the company achieved a 32% year-on-year increase in room bookings in Thailand and a 47% jump in sales revenue to Thai destinations. With the launch of the SPP, GTA said it expects to deliver a higher average daily rate for Thai hotels and longer stays from upscale travellers.

Thailand becomes the fourth SPP destination launched by GTA, following Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai in 2015.

EXPERT OPINION

GTA Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)