As Thailand’s tourism aspirations for a quick fix to international travel in 2022 remain clouded, hoteliers are all looking for the next big thing.

One of the most predictable strategies we are seeing is the FOS (flock of sheep syndrome), in this case, the flock is Russian and Eastern European travelers.

Mind you the snowbird season is winding down and the next opportunity will come at the end of the year, hotels are urgently hiring Russian-speaking sales staff, staging sales calls, and making a last-ditch effort for the remains of the day.

One has to wonder what other strategies are in place aside from manning the luxury malls and trying to sell more pre-paid vouchers.

For the moment, as China remains on the bench and India has yet to generate more significant numbers, the Middle East is a hot topic.

This makes a lot of sense, given Thailand’s restored diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, a new airlift coming. Speaking of airlift, there already exists considerable connectivity with Emirates, Qatar, and Etihad.

One travel trade event which is making waves is the upcoming Arabian Travel Mart in May and there are further roadshows planned.

Moving through 2022, the Middle East summer season when residents flee the heat is a tremendous opportunity as is re-invigorating halal tourism to Southern Thailand.

One thing we know for sure is that segments and geographic sources remain volatile and fast-to-market strategies are best in these uncertain times. Consider burning the annual business plan and managing the opportunities day by day.

Bill Barnett Managing Director, C9 Hotelworks Company Limited 9 Lagoon Road, Cherngtalay, Thalang, Phuket, 83110, Thailand (Office located at the entrance of Laguna Phuket) T: +66 (0)76 271 535 / F: +66 (0)76 271 536

www.c9hotelworks.com