Rituparna Chatterjee- Mumbai
With a view to offer new experiences to the wedding and honeymoon segment from India, Thailand is promoting newer destinations like Rayong and Trat. Presently, destinations like Hua Hin, Phuket, Khao Lak, Koh Samui and Chiang Mai are already popular among travellers. Last year, these destinations hosted around 200 Indian weddings. Speaking on this, Sethaphan Buddhani, director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mumbai Office, stated, “Khao Lak is very popular among Bollywood actors for honeymoon and pre/post wedding parties and the rest of India is gradually following suit. Koh Samui and Hua Hin are already popular as destinations for beach lovers and for romantic getaways, while Rayong and Trat are upcoming destinations for these segments.”
To enhance its tourism infrastructure, Thailand has undertaken many infrastructural projects, which are currently underway. These projects include – the Central Embassy mall and the Yodpiwan River Walk in Bangkok, the Green Ride at Bang Kachao near Bangkok, Cartoon Network Amazone in Pattaya, Blue Port Hua Hin Mall – which also has a resort attached and a Ramayana-themed water park in Pattaya. However, when asked about the expected time of their completion, Buddhani did not comment.
With the recent curfew being lifted from certain areas, the tourism authority is also expecting the tourism numbers to increase. “In 2013, we received 26 million international tourists, out of which 10,49,856 were Indians; a growth of 4.9 per cent over the previous year. If the political situation normalises, then we are expecting the numbers to increase to 28 million international tourists; thereby expecting a growth of eight per cent,” stated Buddhani. A close source from the tourism authority also hinted on the possibility of Jet Airways adding another daily flight on the Mumbai-Thailand route. Presently, Jet Airways operates two daily flights from Mumbai to Thailand. However, further details on this weren’t divulged.
