ไทย
PHUKET, THAILAND – On 9 September 2026, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) held an event to communicate its tourism market direction and promotion strategies for 2027 at SAii Laguna Phuket. Held under the concept “The Year of Transformation,” the event presented in-depth market insights and outlined TAT’s 2027 marketing direction to tourism operators and partners from government agencies, associations and clubs, airlines, and the private sector. The event highlighted new business growth opportunities and sought to strengthen collaboration in tourism promotion, with the ultimate goal of positioning Thailand as Asia’s No. 1 High-Value & Meaningful Destination.
Mr. Chuwit Siriwatchakul, Deputy Governor for Policy and Planning at TAT, said the key objective of the transformation is to shift Thailand’s tourism growth from “volume” to “value,” in response to global trends, emerging challenges, and new opportunities in tourism.
TAT has established “The Winning Goal 2027” based on three key performance indicators: tourism revenue growth of at least 5% compared with 2026; a 60:40 distribution ratio of tourists between major and secondary destinations; and achieving a Top 3 ranking in Asia for tourist loyalty.
Building on these directions and targets, TAT organized the “The Ultimate Fight 2027” panel discussion, featuring TAT executives responsible for international markets, domestic markets, and policy and planning. The session provided market insights into tourism situations, trends, the behavior of high-potential traveler segments, and competitive opportunities, while presenting the Marketing Direction 2027 through four key strategies:
- Rebalance Market Portfolio: TAT will rebalance the tourism portfolio across both customer segments and destinations to reduce dependence on any single market. Market strategies will be divided into three groups: ‘Retain’, for markets where growth should be maintained; Reshape, for markets that need to transition toward new quality segments; and ‘Recover’, for markets where confidence needs to be restored.
TAT will also expand into new markets, including Eastern Europe and Latin America, as well as new origin cities within existing key markets. This will be complemented by a ‘Segmentation Portfolio’ based on traveler behavior and motivations, comprising four groups: ‘Mainstream, Experience, High Value, and Premium Traveler’.
Southern Thailand, with its strong potential for high-quality tourism products and services, is particularly well positioned to further develop the ‘High Value and Premium’ segments into ‘Wellness and Ultra Luxury’, increasing tourism value in line with the region’s strengths while distributing income and opportunities to 19 new tourism areas through the “The Link Plus” project. The initiative aims to increase the number of international tourists visiting these destinations by 10%.
- Shape Experience Platform: TAT will elevate Thailand’s positioning from “Value for Money” to “Meaningful Destination,” strengthening the Amazing Thailand brand by transforming the perception of Thailand from a destination that offers good value for money into one that delivers meaningful experiences.
For international markets, TAT will communicate the concept “Healing is the New Luxury.” For domestic tourism, it will promote travel through the campaigns “365 Thai Travel – Travel Thailand All Year Round” and “Happiness Happens Instantly When Traveling in Thailand – เติมเมืองไทย…ให้ใจได้ฮีล”.
TAT will also design Theme Experiences reflecting the unique identities of each region to create new reasons to travel. This includes expanding the UNESCO Thailand Network and a network of more than 55 community-based tourism destinations, while strengthening destination identities through Signature Destination Branding, initially piloted in five provinces: Chiang Rai, Ubon Ratchathani, Songkhla, Trat, and Samut Songkhram.
- Build New Growth Engine: TAT will transform Thailand’s strengths into economic value by developing four new growth engines that connect tourism with the Life Economy.
These include ‘Theme Product Experience’, offering nine experience categories and Unseen Luxperience for Premium Travelers; ‘Well-being Tourism’, positioning Thailand as a ‘Global Health & Healing Destination’ through its strengths in comprehensive medical services, science-based wellness, and Thai wisdom; ‘Festival Economy’, featuring World and International Events while building on the success of distinctive Thai festivals in 2026.
These include the Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival, Nakhon Phanom Illuminated Boat Procession, and Sakon Nakhon Christmas Star Festival, with the aim of elevating them into internationally recognized “Must-Experience in Thailand” events.
The fourth area is Future Sustainability, which will expand sustainable tourism model destinations to Nan Province and the Wellness Valley, while promoting low-carbon hotels under the CF Hotel standard and SDG assessment framework.
- Transform Together: TAT will strengthen its role in leading all sectors toward transformation through three key approaches.
First, it will use in-depth data and insights to guide decision-making, connecting and sharing information through the ‘Tourism Value Intelligence’ system, supported by a network of 45 domestic offices, two coordination centers, and 29 overseas offices.
Second, TAT will expand capabilities and knowledge through executive-level training programs and develop the “Tourism Leadership Institute,” which is scheduled to officially open in 2028.
Third, TAT will support innovation from startups that can make every journey more convenient and safe, helping create memorable experiences throughout the entire travel journey.
