Bring back quality travel

16 May 2013  2038 | World Travel News

To offset losses caused by  fierce competition in the Russian and CIS markets, travel companies need to create more profitable luxury products to present at the up-coming Thailand Travel Mart 2013.

ILVES Tour company group general manager, Mikhail IIyin, who has registered for TTM+2013 told TTR Weekly by email that due to an expansion of Turkish and Russian tour operators, the market has drifted into a low-cost business model.

“There are huge price wars in the market therefore, the general trend in CIS markets is low-cost services, low class hotels, minimum spend on dining and shopping.”

I Swear in Thai Style

He suggested that the only way to beat the problem was to focus on specialised markets such as wellness, weddings and honeymoons and golf.

The company will promote wedding ceremony products in Thailand with five packages: Beautiful Love European style (US$880); I Swear  Thai style (US$670); Megic Lotus in mixed style (US$1,370); Ocean of Love and Tenderness in mixed style (US$2,270) and Tropical Orchid (US$1,100).

Details and options vary for each of the ceremony  but all use Pattaya as the main destination.

Regarding the TTM event, he said experience had shown that it was very difficult for Thai tour operators and the Tourism Authority of Thailand to push luxury products.

“It is more important to get the government to support by improving tax incentives and streamlining license legislation and upgrading the tourism industry so it can change its image and offer more luxury.”

He warned that the quality of buyers was always low at travel marts.

“Most of them want to travel to Thailand, but not develop business for Thailand,” he said.

“For example, the buyers from CIS, year after year,  are the same people who represent small travel agencies and may not even have a tour operator’s license. It means they do not work like outbound companies, but only as retail agents for local tour operators in CIS.

“So, what are they looking for at TTM+ if they no have legal right to create B2B products for consumers back home,  then how can they  add products from a visit to a travel mart?”

Founded in 1994, ILVES Tour provides a full range of travel services inThailand including domestic and international flight reservations, transport services, guide tours, corporate events, and translation services.

Based in Pattaya, the company has branches in Bangkok, Phuket, Turkmenistan’s Ashgabat; representative offices in Moscow, Ukraine, Krabi, Hua Hin and Siem Reap and offices in Samui and Chang islands.

This year, TTM continues to focus on four niche markets–golf, ecotourism, wedding and honeymoon; and health and wellness.

TTM Plus will be held, 5 to 7 June, at Bangkok’s IMPACT Muang Thong Thani Exhibition Centre.

 

Sourced: ttrweekly

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