Discussing Bangkok’s image at TTM Forum

BANGKOK- Bangkok is a top winner among Asian cities. There is indeed few people around the world who would not fall to the charm of this chaotic sprawling metropolis.

Under the auspices of Bert van Walbeek, Chairman of the PATA Thailand Chapter, two travel personalities Sudasna Sumate, President, Thailand Incentive and Convention Association and Managing Director of Creative Destination Management (CDM), and Mr. Andrew Biggs, an author and TV personality as well as keynote speaker Prof. Greg Richards who works at both University of Tilburg and University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands debated about the attraction of Bangkok over the public.

Greg Richards looked at Barcelona as a successful rebranding example which largely used creativity resources to reposition itself into a sexy destination. Barcelona reinvented its image by becoming a Mediterranean fun-loving metropolis, a centre of creativity, all sustained by cultural icons such as Picasso, Gaudi or Miro.

Would this model apply also to Bangkok? Both Mr. Sumate and Biggs did not seem to be convinced  by the opportunity of a more scientific marketing approach. According to Andrew Biggs, Bangkok charm is all about its “organised chaos while the best experience to get as a visitor is Thai people”.

Andrew Biggs even find that Bangkok chaos is one of its best assets for many travellers. “Cities in Australia, where I originally comes from, are exactly the opposite, very well organised. This is why people from Australia want to come to Thailand… and vice versa of course”, he explained.

Mr. Biggs backed up his speech with Bangkok’s visitors’ number: 15 million a year. The city has also been named the world's best city for tourism, based on the MasterCard Worldwide Global Destination Cities Index 2013 survey.

Commenting on the discussion topic, Mr. Sumate said he was happy with the status of Bangkok, especially as its appeal had been recognised in the Mastercard survey.

“We must be doing something right,” Mr. Sumate said. “Bangkok has its own charm and attractions. But it is also chaotic and that is what makes Bangkok different from other cities. People come here for creativity as well as the chaos.”

As an example, he cited the various ways for people to get around town, from tuk-tuks to motorcycle taxis, sky trains or canal boats. “If you take away these weird and exciting things of Bangkok, people will come and say this is not the Bangkok I know,” he added.

However, as Bangkok is looking to increase the quality of its tourism, a more targeted marketing would certainly not harm the city. Highlighting new products, new areas, having micro-campaigns on niche markets, could only reinforce the visitor’s diversity and quality Bangkok is looking for.

“Bangkok has already many elements of a diverse tourism culture, from the possibility of biking in town to the way to learn Thai cooking Thai or to enjoy the river scenery. I heard that an association of hoteliers along the river came out to promote better the area and organize events. One of the keys to a creative tourism metropolis is to create events or design public spaces where both locals and visitors can mix and share fun together”, told Greg Richards.

They are however two risks: first, a certain complacency of Bangkok authorities to go on without any new ideas as the city is successful on its own. For example, Mr. Biggs even believed that “people are not coming to Bangkok for its museums”.

If it is certainly true that few visitors would just come to Bangkok for its museums, cultural tourism is not to be neglected as it is becoming increasingly important to several market segments. For example, campaigning to showcase Bangkok as a hub of arts not only for Thailand but maybe for the entire Mekong area would probably draw new high-quality visitors…

Another risk is that tourists looking at meeting Thais would loose their common sense. According to Andrew Biggs, it is still important for visitors to Thailand never to remain vigilant as they would in their own countries. “The closer you get to the tourist areas, the closer the sharks are circling you," he said. “This is something the authorities will have to pay attention to. Let’s try and stop the tourists being ripped off.” Mr. Sumate agreed: “Common sense is what you need to have everywhere.”

Nearly 300 TTM participants listening to the discussion were asked to vote on their view. The majority of the delegates disagreed then with the claim that Bangkok needed any repositioning…

Sourced: TravelDailyNews