Bangkok, 10 November 2009 — The WTM 2009 Thailand pavilion features a line-up of 105 Thailand exhibitors, the second largest Asian contingent after India.

Thailand has participated in the World Travel Market for 30 consecutive years. Mrs Juthaporn Rerngronasa, Deputy Governor for International Marketing, Tourism Authority of Thailand said, “We are very proud of this achievement and believe that our high profile presence has played a major role in making the UK our top tourist-generating market from Europe.

The UK is Thailand’s largest source of visitors from Europe. In January - September 2009, UK visitor arrivals at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport totalled 482,915 or
-6.25% over the same period of 2008. By comparison, German visitor arrivals at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in the same period totalled 328,209 (-3.35%) and France, 248,954 (2.58%).

In 2009, total UK visitor arrivals to Thailand are projected at 700,000.

In 2008, UK visitors to Thailand (by nationality) totalled 826,523 or -3.78% over 2007. Their expenditure generated a total of 49,432 million Baht (about Euro 1,003 million) in foreign exchange revenue, up 4.20% over 2007. This is based on an average daily expenditure of 3,773.21 Baht per person (-0.85%).

UK visitors have an average length of stay of 17.27 days, well above the 13 day average of European visitors to Thailand.

In recent years, Thailand has seen a significant growth in first-time and mature-age visitors from the UK. However, most UK visitors remain in the 25-34 age bracket.

This year, due to the economic problems in the UK, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is expecting more bargain-hunting by British tour operators, especially for beach, culture, historic, and wellness holidays.

However, the market is projected to do well due to the increased flight capacity, especially via the Gulf countries. The UK outbound market is being characterised by late booking trends and huge competition, especially amongst other Asian destinations like India, China, and the Greater Mekong Subregion countries.

UK visitors can stay in Thailand for 30 days without a visa. As of November 2009, there are 34 scheduled flights service between London and Bangkok such as, Thai Airways International (14 direct flights), British Airways (7), Eva Airways (6), and Qantas (7).

The popular British publication, Guardian News and Media, recently selected Thailand as the host destination for the 23rd Guardian Observer Travel Awards on 16 October, 2009. This event provided a unique opportunity to welcome the UK travel and tourism industry’s top professionals to Thailand which the Guardian described as “one of the best holiday destinations in the world.”

In 2009, Thailand has been voted the Best Value Long-haul Holiday destination for UK holidaymakers by the website www.thisismoney.co.uk.

Contact information:
International Public Relations Division
Tourism Authority of Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4545-48
Fax: +66 (0) 2253 7419
E-mail: prdiv3@tat.or.th
Web site: www.tatnews.org