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Marketing Analysis Report 2015
TAT Guangzhou Office
Responsible areas /markets: Guangdong , Hunan , Jiangxi , Fujian and Hainan Province
SECTION 1: Market trends
1.1 Overall
Below is the basic information on economic and population of these five provinces in 2013.
GDP
Rank (from 31
Provinces)
Province
1
Guangdong
10
Growth Rate
CPI
Population
5.7068
8.20%
2.80%
104,303,132
Hunan
2.2154
11.30%
2.50%
65,683,722
12
Fujian
1.9702
11.40%
2.40%
36,894,216
19
Jiangxi
1.2949
11.00%
2.70%
44,567,475
28
Hainan
0.2855
9.10%
3.20%
8,671,518
(Trillion RMB)
Guangdong: located at the southern part of China. Its GDP is ranked No. 1 in China in 2013, which means the
spending of Cantonese tourists are very strong and potential to be high spending. Generally, the tourists from this
Pearl River Delta which includes Guangzhou, Foshan, Shenzhen, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Dongguan, Zhuhai and
Huizhou are wealthy and easily visit to Hong Kong because of connected border. About 60% of them have already
visited Thailand. Therefore, this group prefers new destinations and new packages to Thailand. For those who have
never visited Thailand are interested in the traditional Thai tour packages; such as, Bangkok-Pattaya, BangkokPhuket, etc. There are about 20% of the tourists are FIT travelers. Regarding outbound , there were 750,000 travelers
to Thailand from overall 9,600,000 outbound travelers in 2012. And for 2013 , there were about 940,000 tourists
visited Thailand from overall 11,500,000 outbound tourists.
Hunan: Located in the southern inland of China. Its GDP is ranked No. 10 in China in 2013. Changsha, Zhuzhou,
and Hengyang are the developed industrial cities in this province. The tourists from these three cities are wealthy.
Many of them have already visited Thailand by group tour where the popular destination are all beach cities in
Thailand . Thus, they would like to visit the new destinations in Thailand as FIT, especially the young generation
group. The other provinces apart from these three cities are still not good in term of their economic.
Fujian: Located in the southeast coast of China and close to Taiwan . Its GDP is ranked No. 12 in China in 2013.
Fujian people usually have their relatives/friends overseas, including Thailand. Regarding the first visit tourists, more
than 60% prefer to join tour group due to the language problem. Traditional tourist destinations are Bangkok, Phuket
and Pattaya. There are also many of Fujian people who have already visited Thailand as FIT tourists. Their purposes
are usually to travel and to visit friends/relatives. Fuzhou and Xiamen are the first tiered cities in Fujian. The people
of these two cities are well educated and high potential spending for tourism. More and more of them like to visit
new destinations in Thailand, and some local young white collar people prefer to travel as FIT repeaters.
Jiangxi: located in the southern inland of China. Its GDP is ranked No. 19 in 2013. There is only new one direct
flight to Thailand from Jiangxi by Orient Thai Airline. The tourists from Jiangxi can also go to Thailand via
Guangzhou Baiyun Airport or Hong Kong Airport. Nanchang and Jiujiang are the first tiered cities in the province,
which are the current targeted market in Jiangxi. Some people from these two cities have visited Thailand as group
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tourists. The other parts of Jiangxi are still very poor for their economic and many people have not yet traveled
abroad. With development of mine resource in Jiangxi, it is believed that this market is pretty potential and should
be developed in a few year.
Hainan: located at the southernmost island of China. Its GDP is ranked No.28 in China in 2013. Hainan is just a
smallest province in China in terms of GDP and population. Due to its tropical climate and many beaches, Hainanese
people do not eager to visit the beach and island destinations in Thailand. On the contrary, they are interested in
heritage, leisure and sightseeing places. Many Hainanese people have lots of friends/relatives overseas including
Thailand, especially Koh Samui. Therefore, they are likely to travel to Thailand as FIT to visit their friends and
relatives. Haikou and Sanya are the first tiered cities in the province. Hainan Airlines runs “Haikou-NanningBangkok” route two flights per week. However, most of the local tourists still prefer to visit Thailand via Hong Kong
as they can do some shopping in Hong Kong.
1.2 Outbound outlook

January and also follow by Chinese New Year for Febuary is the high season for all Chinese including
Southern Chinese , both are still very big opportunity for all destination in Thailand.

From January to May 2014, The Royal Thai Consulate General in Guangzhou issued 192,000 tourist Visa.
The figure was significantly decreased, approximately 30 % decreased .

Since, the anti-government demonstration in Bangkok was the major reason coming to the present of the
military administration, these negatively affected the travel of Southern Chinese tourists to Thailand when compared
with last year.

They prefer to travel to the other countries during the peak season and long weakend; such as Korea Japan
Cambodia Bali Maldives Philippines etc while USA and Europ still popular for the long hual destinations . Most
of them travelled with family or in couple.

Volume and growth rate of outbound to Thailand (2013 – 2015) from China:
Year
Outbound volume
(to Thailand)
Growth Rate
2013
4.7 million
8%
2014
5.25 million
4.25%
2015
5.78 million
10%
Forcast on 2014 and 2015
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1.3 Airline Information

Guangdong:
 30% of the tourists from Guangdong to Thailand depart from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport. 35% depart from
Hong Kong International Airport whereas 20% depart from Macau Airport and 10% depart from Shantou
Airport.
 The main airline with regular flight from Guangdong to Thailand are China Southern Airline, Thailand
Airway, Air Asia and SriLankan Airlines, details are as follow:
Guangzhou – Bangkok
TG: 2 trips/day/Daily
CZ: 3 trips/day/Daily
Air Asia: 1 trip/day/Daily

Srilankan Airline: 2 trips/day/Daily
Hainan:
 40% of tourists from Hainan to Thailand depart from Hong Kong International Airport. The other 30% depart
from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport whereas 25% depart from Haikou Airport, and 5% depart from other
airports.
 There are one regular flight from Haikou to Bangkok but with one stop in Nanning Wuxu International
Airport, details are as follow:
Haikou - Bangkok

Hainan Airline: 3 trips/week
Hunan:
 40% of Hunan tourists depart for Thailand from Changsha Airport. The other 30% depart from Hong Kong
International Airport whereas 25% depart from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport and the rest ( 5% ) departs from
other airports.
 The main airline with regular flight from Hainan to Thailand are Xiamen Airline and Thai Airline, details
are as follow:
Changsha – Bangkok
CZ: 1 trips/day/ Daily
TG: 5 trips/week
Air Asia: 1 trips/day/Daily
Changsha – Phuket

CZ: 3 trips/week
Jiangxi:
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 Starting from 1st April, Orient Thai Airline shall launch Nanchang-Bangkok regular flight, 4 flights per week
on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, aircraft will be Boeing 737. Departure time from Nanchang
will be 13:20, arrival time in Bangkok will be 17:35.
 Fujian:
 The main airline with regular flight from Fujian to Thailand are China Southern Airline, Air Asia and Thai
Airway, details are as follow:
Xiamen – Bangkok
Xiamen Airline: 4 trips/week
TG: 4 trips/week
Fuzhou – Bangkok
Xiamen Airline: 3 trips/week
1.4 Shift in destination preferences
 Beyond conventional destimation from Bangkok Pattaya Chiangmai Phuket , the chinese
market start to shift to around Bangkok such as Ayuthaya Khaoyai Hua-Hin (Cha-Am) and
also new provinces like Krabi Trang Surat-thani (Samui) for premium destinations.
1.5 New product preferences
 Islands, Beach, Golf, Gourmet and Spa are more and more popular.
 Shopping for “Family and Leisure” groups is still pay an important role for chinese market
1.6 Change in consumer behavior
 Exclusive tailor made outbound trips are required by high end group.
 “Selfie” is easily seen on WeChat. The tourists tend to share their experiences on Weibo.
 Fly low cost, award themselves with good accomodations.
1.7 New/Potential product & destination preferences
 Family and Leisure: Chiang Mai, Phuket, Nakorn Ratchasima (Khaoyai), Krabi, Samui and
Pattaya
 Young generation and white collar groups: soft adventure (Zipline, Rifle Shooting, ATV,
snorkeling, trekking), Thai cuisine - food - fruit (incl organic food & fruit) and shopping
 OL and executives: beauty – health - wellness incl clean air + healthy food & fruit
 Golfer: Bangkok and neighboring , Khaoyai , Hua-Hin , Kanchanaburi.
 Diving group: Moo Koh Similan, Koh Tao, and Koh Chang
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SECTION 2: SWOT Analysis
2.1 Strengths and Weaknesses of Thailand: Marketing mix (compared to Thailand’s competitors in the
market)
Strengths
Weaknesses
Internal environments
- Tourism products and
- Good service and products
- Chinese language inability
services (product variety, - Variety
- Malpractice of Thai ground agents
quality, attractiveness,
- Still offer traditional packages with
etc.)
options
- Thailand tourism
- Good airports
- Poor inter-city connections
infrastructure
- Availability of Public transports
(transportation
in/between
destinations, etc.)
- Price (package tour,
- Diversity of prices
accommodation, air fare, - Value for money
etc.)
- Reasonable air fares
-Communication and
- Regular communication with the
promotion programs
public through Weibo
(sales promotion,
- Joint sales promotion with
advertising, public
alliances
relations, direct/online
marketing, etc.)
- Thailand products cover all
- No deep penetration to retail ends
traditional channels.
- No new social media usage
- No 2nd & 3rd tier cities sales
-Image of Thailand and
Thailand tourism
industry (political
stability, safety, hygiene,
eco-friendly, etc.)
Capability of tourism
personnel (guides,
hoteliers, drivers, etc.)
Thailand’s
crises/negative issues
(political unrest /safety
issue/environmental
issue)
-
Value for money
-
Look “unrest destination” + “not
hygienic”
-
Lack of professional and standard
tour guides
-
Cyclical political unrest
Disaster: Tsunamis along the coast
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2.2 Opportunities and Threats in the market that influencing to Thailand Tourism :
Macro-environments
Opportunities
Threats
- The respect and love for the
- Cyclical political unrest
Political environment
(legislation – regulation;
King; esp HRH Princess
taxation, Social Unrest
Siridhorn
etc.)
Economic environment - Exchange rate to RMB is good - Possible devaluation of RMB
(exchange rates, fuel
- Possible economic collapse of the
price, unemployment,
People’s Republic of China
inflation ,etc.)
- (Thai) Chinese people in various
Social/Cultural
parts of Thailand
environment
(population age
structure, cultural values,
demography, holidaytaking habits, social
concerns, tourist
behavior, etc.)
- Chinese young generation group
Technological
environment (internet
is more open minded and able to
usage, social networking
involve themselves in social
/media usage, smart
platform
phone user, etc.)
- Unhealthy air of Guangdong
Natural environment
(climate changes, etc.)
makes people seek for good
quality of air
Accessibility to
Thailand (availability,
capacity etc.)
-
Not only seats / flights of the
areas but also there are a lot
more from HK and Macao
-
No direct flights from some
provinces to Thailand; such as,
Hainan
SECTION 3: Market segmentation
Please list and describe all market segments available for 2015 with available and practical details of
demographics and psychographics to be used in developing strategies and tactics.
Leisure market:
Size &
Segments
Preferences/Values/Benefits
Competitors
growth
Family
500,000
Variety of destinations and products Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan
+10%
Wellness
50,000
Variety of destinations and products Korea, Hong Kong, Japan
+5%
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Special interest market:
Size &
Segments
growth
Golf
300,000
+10%
Diving
5,000
+3%
Muay Thai
3000
+5%
Caravan
2000
+5%
Preferences/Values/Benefits
Variety of destinations
Competitors
Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia
Variety of destinations and products Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia,
and Maldives
Uniqueness
None
Uniqueness
Vietnam, Malaysia
Hi-End market:
Size &
growth
Medical Tour
8,000
+10%
Pool-villa
3,000
Honeymooners +5%
Segments
Preferences/Values/Benefits
Competitors
Comprehensive
Korea, Japan
Service
Bali, Maldives
SECTION 4: Target segments
[ - Please list market segments that you plan to target in 2015 by selecting from the available segments in
SECTION 3.
Leisure markets:
Segments
Wellness
Family
Thailand / TAT’s
Strengths
Competitors
Korea, Bali
-
Korea, Hong Kong,
Taiwan
-
Variety of destinations
and standard products
Variety of destinations
and standard products
What to be improved in
Thailand to serve these
segments
- Chinese materials
- Seminar for front-liner
- Chinese materials
For this market, TAT GZ will launch the projects as below:
-Media and Agent FAM Trip for wellness and spa inspection, as well as new destinations for family tour,
including Trang, Khao Yai and Krabi, etc.
-Joint promo with local travel agents
-Photo taking competition for the new destination on TAT GZ weibo in order to keep exposure on the
new destinations.
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Special interest markets:
Segments
Competitors
Thailand / TAT’s
Strengths
Golf
Philippines, Indonesia,
Malaysia
-
Muay Thai
None
-
Diving
Philippines, Indonesia,
Malaysia, and Maldives
-
Golf paradise
Short distance to China
Seasonal promotion by
Thai golf clubs
Good relationship with
Muay Thai Club in
Guangzhou
What to be improved in
Thailand to serve these
segments
- TAT should create one
website for info on all
golf clubs in Thailand,
especially in Chinese.
- Create Chinese
materials promotion
about Muay Thai
There are various
- More promotion
diving sites for
- More info on ground
different level of
dive clubs
divers.
Caravan
Vietnam
- Good location (as the
- Chinese materials incl
center of AEC)
GPS
For this market, TAT GZ will launch the projects as below:
1.Joint with main local agents for Muay Thai boxing tour package with Ad support.
2.Joint with Top Player Travel Service for Summer Dive packages targeting on dive school students and
university students.
3.Joint local auto associations and Shenzhen CCT for Caravan and fly-and-drive packages, TAT will
support welcome dinner and print Advertisement.
Hi-End market:
Segments
Competitors
Thailand / TAT’s
Strengths
What to be improved in
Thailand to serve these
segments
Medical Tour
Korea, Japan, HK
- Comprehensive
- Chinese materials
Pool-villa
Bali, Maldives
- Wider range of pool- More packages
Honeymooners
villas
towards China market
1. Launch Micro film campaign or join with film company to produce micro film/movie including Thai
luxury tour attractions.
2. Joint with OTA incl www.ctrip.com, Mangocity.com so as to launch tour packages including the film
shooting sites in Thailand.
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SECTION 5 : Destination to Promote
1. Specify main destinations where you are promoting and who is your target group.
Destination
Target Group
Krabi
Trang
Both Group & FIT
FIT
Khao Yai
Family, golfers, OL,
High-end
Product
Premium Accom ,
Snorkeling , Sea Sand
Sun
Golf , Agro-Tourism ,
wellness
Reason why you are
promoting this area
Phuket is too crowded and old
Phuket is too crowded and old
Continuous promotion
1. MET/AET
2. Joint Ad campaign with local agents, especially FIT agents.
3. Specify new destinations that you plan to promote or possible to promote and who is your target
group.
Destination
Target Group
Product
Trang
Lipe
Couples, High Social
Status Travellers,
Environment Lovers
Diving, Honeymoon,
Relaxation
Chiang Rai &
around North
Caravan
Soft adventure / food /
fruit / Spa
…………………………………..
Reason why you plan to
promote this area
Both our aircrafts and products
already at close by airport like
Krabi, we have to provide new
destinations and products to
our clients, especially those
with larger budgets to spend.
Promotional plan under AEC