PATTAYA, 30 April 2018: Thailand’s premier travel show, TTM Plus, will give preference to international buyers who specialise in luxury, weddings, honeymoons and romance holiday packages.
Around 300 international buyers from 60 countries will be hosted at the annual event.
They will be given pre-arranged appointments with 300 sellers and to comply with the theme sellers will be given priority if they are supplying romance, or luxury travel experiences.
The lucrative weddings and honeymoon market earned an estimated THB1.65 billion in 2016 or around USD1,500 per visitor. It represented around 1.1 million visitors annually.
Thailand Travel Mart Plus Amazing Gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion will be hosted in Pattaya, 13 to 15 June, adopting the theme a “Million Shades of Romance”.
In line with the romantic theme the event will be held in a very unusual venue; Southeast Asia’s largest yacht marina and that will require using a giant tent.
The marina is home to a fleet of luxury yachts and bare-boat charters, just 7 km south of mainbay Pattaya.
Hosting the event at Pattaya’s Ocean Marina Yacht Club will involve the commissioning of a massive fully air-conditioned pop-up marquee to house the seller booths.
It will be the first time that a major travel trade show in Thailand has been hosted literally by the sea in a romantic marina venue under the canvas of a giant marquee.
Pattaya’s famous sea breeze, that gave Thailand’s first international beach destination its name, will serenade the business networking appointment sessions with nature’s background music courtesy of the fleet at berth.
The clusters of luxury yachts emit an orchestra of chimes and tinkling, powered by fresh breezes blowing through the rigging and halyards of the tall sailing masts. The natural sounds of wind and riggings will certainly remind delegates they are at a luxury seaside venue; fresh air and the romance of the sea right on the doorstep.
Undoubtedly, this will be named the most unusual spot for a travel trade event, but then the theme of TTM+ 2018 is luxury, weddings and romance travel prompting the organisers to think outside of the box on the venue format.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is projecting an attendance of 300 quality international buyers from over 60 countries, who will meet for pre-arranged appointments with 300 sellers, many of them selling romance or luxury travel experiences.
Buyers and international media will be hosted for pre and post tours that explore coastal provinces Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat. There are opportunities to explore relatively new routes to destinations in neighbouring Cambodia such as Siem Reap’s Angkor Wat, or the beach resorts of Sihanoukville province.
Tourism Authority of Thailand deputy governor for marketing communications, Tanes Petsuwan in recent comments on Thailand’s tourism strategy said the objective was to establish the country as the “preferred quality leisure destination for international visitors rather than mass tourism.”
TTM this year will be a platform to offer insights into the new “Open to the New Shades” campaign that seeks to offer opportunities for each traveller, regardless of their interest or age, to embark on memorable travel experiences in Thailand.
Tanes said: “Open to the New Shades is an invitation to … ‘mix and match’ the diverse choice of products to personalise a trip.”
TTM presents the venue to encourage a mix and match process between international buyers and Thailand’s travel sellers during the two days of business appointments. It will result in new itineraries that will explore secondary destinations and possibly combine them with trips to neighouring Cambodia.
The major buyer markets at TTM include Europe, South East Asia, Eastern Asia, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as emerging markets; such as, the CIS countries, Eastern Europe, Middle East, South America, and South Africa.
TTM returns to Pattaya after an absence of 17 years. During the last two years, the event was hosted in Chiang Mai to raise awareness for the city’s events business and its role as a gateway to northern Thailand.
The event this year will support the strategy to shift Thailand’s tourism industry away from mass markets to niche markets, especially high-spend, long-stay markets such as weddings and honeymoons.
TAT governor, Yuthasak Supasorn said: “Thailand offers a wide array of attractions for luxurious and romantic travel. It features a rich culture and history, wonderful nature, pristine beaches, fantastic cuisine, a full range of tourism-related amenities and accommodation with experienced and innovative service personnel, and most importantly, the hospitality of the Thai people.
“All these factors come together to make Thailand such a great destination to personalise and fulfil a couple’s dream romance destination.”
