SEOUL, South Korea, 28 January 2021: The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Seoul Office launched a new B2B platform, “Again Thailand Minisite” last week to support Thai travel suppliers reach out to Korean outbound travel agencies.
The website (www.visitthailand.or.kr) provides business links for 200 Thai travel suppliers to reach out and promote products and services to 2,637 outbound agencies in Korea.
Betting on the Covid-19 vaccination programme to renew travel confidence in South Korea, the TAT office said it is stepping up efforts to prepare for travel confidence to recover. That should materialise during the second half of this year.
The new website will encourage sales promotions and has the potential to reach 10,000 travellers interested in buying travel packages to Thailand once confidence in the market returns.
The B2B platform, soft-launched in early January, will encourage sellers and buyers to stay connected and is an example of how Covid-19 is changing the way trade show and roadshow activities are organised ina virtual environment.
Thai tour operators will be able to update activities and promotions while the office aims to upgrade the minisite into a business negotiations platform that delivers travel package bookings for Thailand.
During the first phase of the minisite, up until March, 100 Thai product sellers registered and are now using the platform. The office expects another 100 sellers to join during the second phase that will run from April to June.
In 2020, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports reported that Thailand welcomed 259,914 tourists from South Korea a considerable way off the 1,706,120 visitors recorded in 2019.
In 2019 Sports tourism alone generated 35,079 visits to Thailand with Korean golfers leading. This month the TAT Seoul Office organised a golf webinar promoting ‘Golf Quarantine in Thailand’ through leading golf holidays agents in Korea such as Arirang World Tour Company. Under the campaign, foreign golfers wishing to visit Thailand can spend their two-week quarantine at any of the six certified golf resorts with time allotted to leave their room for exercise and a round of golf.
Tourism Authority of Thailand, Seoul Office director Jiranee Poonnayom, said: “The vaccination programme, which is expected to roll out in Korea by February should be completed by September or November at the latest… It will help to re-boot travel confidence and trigger recovery.”
In the meantime, the TAT office is working with leading operators namely Hana Tour, Very Good Tour, and Platform G Market to conduct pre-sales promotions including early bird vouchers and buy-now-travel-later packages selling four to five-star accommodation, air tickets, and package tours, with a sales target of 1,800 customers during April to June.
TAT will also introduce sales via the popular TV Home Shopping that should generate package sales for up to 10,000 visitors and stimulate arrivals to Thailand in the last quarter of 2021 or the upcoming winter season in Korea.
During the travel restriction last year, the TAT Seoul Office conducted activities to keep Thailand top-of-mind for Korean travellers. Through the Think of Thailand – Aroi Jung Events, the office promoted Thai gastronomy to Korean influencers. This year, the Think of Thailand campaign will continue under the theme ‘Nostalgia of Korea Celebs’. It will involve TAT joining hands with the ASEAN Korea Centre to promote awareness of Thailand through famous K-Pop idols.
