Central Pattana Public Company Limited, a leading Thai real estate company specializing in retail-led mixed-use developments including Central shopping malls, residential properties, office buildings, and hotels nationwide, has joined forces with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and top partners to create the largest tourism ecosystem in the country. This initiative supports the TAT's tourism policy aimed at revitalizing the economy and stimulating tourism both domestically and internationally through the campaign “The Great Collaboration for Thailand’s Tourism Ecosystem”. This campaign is designed to accommodate the increasing number of global travelers and aims to generate over 800 billion baht in revenue for the country, with a strategy to position shopping malls as a Cross-Region Platform to stimulate tourism in both major and minor cities, thereby distributing income. Additionally, promotional activities will be launched to attract and encourage spending by tourists both within and outside the country at Central shopping malls across 37 branches nationwide.

Key partners involved include TCEB, Central Department Store, Tops Market, Tops Online, Central Food Hall, Centara Hotels and Resorts, Siam Kempinski Hotel, Bangkok Airways, Kris+ and Pelago by Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Thai Smile, VietJet Air, financial institutions, credit cards, and online payment platforms such as Alipay, JCB, Mastercard, UnionPay, WeChat Pay, TRUE Corporation mobile network, and the travel e-commerce platform KLOOK.

Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, stated, “I am very pleased to be part of this press conference. Over the past period, Central Pattana and all partners have been a crucial force in driving the economy and enhancing the Thai tourism industry, making Thailand a sustainable popular tourist destination. Recently, Bangkok was ranked as the number one global travel destination for 2022 by Asia’s Best Awards 2022, reflecting the normalization of various situations in the country, the relaxation of measures, and the full reopening of the country, which has led to a continuous recovery of the Thai economy, especially in the retail, hotel, airline sectors, and all partners in the Thai tourism industry, which are vital mechanisms for driving the economy. I would like to thank the integration of private sector cooperation in this initiative, which helps us effectively reach our set goals and drive Thai tourism towards sustainable growth, revitalizing the country's economy once again,” Mr. Yuthasak remarked.

Dr. Natthakit Tangpoonsinthana, Assistant Managing Director of Marketing at Central Pattana Public Company Limited, said, “Currently, we are moving towards a Post-COVID situation where people are starting to travel again. Many countries have relaxed international travel measures, and the traffic numbers at Central shopping malls have returned to nearly 100% nationwide. Tourist malls in Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, etc., are showing a clear upward trend, and the hotel and food court businesses are also recovering significantly. We are confident that the number of international tourists traveling to Thailand will meet the TAT's target of 10 million people in 2022. As of August, the number of tourists entering Thailand reached 3.78 million, generating revenue of 176 billion baht. The top three countries sending tourists to Thailand are Malaysia, India, and Singapore, respectively. For the broader picture of attracting tourists from around the world to Thailand, we have established a clear strategy to position Thailand as a Global Preferred Destination with three strategies:

Strategy 1: Stimulate Spending & Spread Income: Highlighting the role of shopping malls as a hub connecting the Retail & Tourism Ecosystem to enhance tourism comprehensively. With the strength of Central shopping malls having branches nationwide, 19 branches are located in 15 tourist provinces, both major and minor cities. Our initiatives to support the tourism sector include organizing tourism promotion events, hotel fairs, OTOP markets, and community tourism programs nationwide in a cross-region manner, such as southern tourism events held at CentralWorld or events in Phuket to attract tourists from other regions. We will collaborate with both public and private partners to design the customer journey from the pre-arrival stage to the mall arrival stage, distributing income to all sectors involved in the ecosystem while stimulating local community tourism and nearby provinces.

  • The government, through the Tourism Sandbox, in collaboration with TAT, overseas offices in Dubai and Hong Kong, will organize Fam Trips and various co-promotions with Central shopping malls to stimulate tourist spending.
  • TCEB will support MICE businesses, and in the future, the government may need to promote hosting more global events.
  • Financial institutions, credit cards, and online payment platforms in the ecosystem will offer premium gifts when shopping at designated locations, cashback programs, and special privileges and discount programs from JCB, UnionPay, Alipay, and WeChat Pay.
  • Welcome Packages will be created in collaboration with stores in the malls and the Central Group, offering special discounts from Central Department Store, Tops Market, Tops Online, Central Food Hall, and discounts from shops and restaurants in the malls worth over 5,000 baht, which will be provided to customers staying at various hotels around the malls.
  • TRUE Corporation will support free SIM cards and WiFi for all foreign tourists visiting the shopping malls.
  • Leading airlines such as Bangkok Airways, Kris+, and Pelago by Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Thai Smile, and VietJet Air will offer special privileges for customers showing their boarding passes at Central shopping malls, including discount vouchers from participating stores, Central Department Store, Tops Market, Central Food Hall, and TOPS Online, along with free Thai food menu coupons when shopping reaches a specified amount, and exclusive access to The Exclusive Lounge once for two people at The Exclusive Lounge located at CentralWorld, Central Village, and Central Phuket for customers holding airline membership cards.
  • The travel platform KLOOK will offer special promotions for foreign customers, including a free Starbucks e-Coupon worth 100 baht when spending 2,000 baht, a free KLOOK discount code worth 200 baht when spending 2,000 baht at Central Ayutthaya and 2,500 baht at CentralWorld and Central Phuket, and will provide a Pick Up & Drop Off One Day Tour service for foreign tourists at both CentralWorld and Central Ayutthaya. Additionally, KLOOK will open the first comprehensive travel service counter in Bangkok at CentralWorld.

Strategy 2: Springboard Rising Cities: Continuing to expand projects to develop Rising Cities, promoting secondary cities paired with major cities, such as Bangkok - Ayutthaya - Sukhothai, Chiang Mai - Lamphun - Lampang, Phuket - Krabi, etc. This strategy highlights the strengths of Central projects as Fully-Integrated Mixed-Use Developments, including shopping malls, hotels, condominiums, convention halls, and offices. Successful models for developing secondary cities include Central Ayutthaya and Chanthaburi, where we have elevated tourism comprehensively while engaging with local communities to enhance the charm and highlights of provinces to attract tourists, helping to create local wealth and distribute income to community members effectively. We will collaborate with partners to design long-stay tourism programs and create facilities infrastructure that encourages longer stays, such as luxury and leisure tourism in Phuket and creating an Art Region in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

Strategy 3: Spotlight on Global Shopping Destination: Promoting Bangkok and Phuket as global shopping cities by developing diverse shopping destinations to cater to all types of tourists, such as Central Village, Thailand's first luxury outlet, Central Phuket, the only luxury mall in Thailand's global tourist city, and CentralWorld, a lifestyle destination and landmark for tourists worldwide that continuously creates global phenomena. We will also renovate new zones to welcome tourists, including Zone I and Hug Thai Hug Craft, which sell community products and souvenirs, and the Jing Jai Market, which sells products from local farmers nationwide, along with Tourist Malls in over 15 tourist provinces, such as Central Ayutthaya, Central Pattaya, Central Chiang Mai, and Central Samui.

In all our shopping malls, we promote large-scale festive events such as Chinese New Year, Songkran, and countdown events to attract tourists and create reasons to visit. Additionally, we have established Full Service Downtown VAT Refund services at three popular shopping destinations for tourists: CentralWorld, Central Village, and Central Rama 9, to facilitate tourists. We believe in the tourism potential of Thailand, which has consistently ranked as a top global destination, and with the strong vision of the government, particularly the Tourism Authority of Thailand, which has clear and continuous operational plans, will effectively help to 'transform' and 'revitalize' the country's economy, continuously pushing Thailand to remain the champion of popular destinations worldwide,” Dr. Natthakit concluded.