The Association of Thai Tourism Marketing (ATTM) plans to set up ATTM Academy to provide business training and transfer marketing knowledge to members.
Kitti: Focused on providing knowledge
ATTM president Kitti Pornsiwakit said at least six courses, dubbed as ABCDEF, will be offered and each will focus on different market segments and demands.
He said Course A will educate students about art, which is becoming more popular among tourists. Course B will focus on proper business models and business strategies, while Course C will emphasise content and storytelling with regard to tourism products.
Course D is about digital and new media for tourism operators, Course E focuses on entrepreneurship and F is about funding and financial management.
The objective for the academy is to strengthen the tourism business and enhance competitiveness by using the latest technology and help operators benefit from tourism growth.
The first training programme will kick off next month and all courses will be completed in six months, he said, adding that providing knowledge for members is a vital part of his short-term plans.
Mr Kitti has been ATTM's president since April 7, and also plans to run a tourism workshop specifically for small and medium-sized operators in the third quarter of this year.
The association will gather information from operators and provide assistance such as guidelines based on their needs to help improve capabilities.
Mr Kitti said only a handful of players, particularly big operators, have benefited from the ongoing robust tourism.
The association has also outlined strategies based on the 4Ps of marketing -- people, presentation, partner, and platform -- to strengthen the tourism industry.
Participants will obtain the most recent knowledge and practices to tackle the changing business environment, he said.
Presentation is key to showcasing products and services effectively, partners could be an important factor for operators as they need to work with more alliances, while platform is a new tool to drive business forward, Mr Kitti said.
ATTM has recommended Tripwarp.com, a digital transformation and business-to-business marketplace platform, for members to access solutions.
Tripwarp.com was launched early this year by a group of 80 travel entrepreneurs, including travel agency, hotel, medical, spa, restaurant, transport and technology companies.
"ATTM members and non-members can use the solution for free to create their own websites, do business and make online payments. This is a new channel to help operators reach more clients," he said.
ATTM has 150 members engaging in tourism services and Mr Kitti aims for 500 by 2019.
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