The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) wants to capitalise on the relatively cool rainy season by rolling out campaigns with airlines and tour operators to promote discounted holidays for those seeking to escape the heatwave in Europe.
TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said the agency is monitoring hazardous heatwaves in Europe that are disrupting daily life, particularly for the elderly and people with underlying health conditions.
Much of the housing and many buildings on the continent were not designed to cope with extreme heat, unlike those in tropical countries such as Thailand, she noted.
Governments across Europe have introduced measures to cope with the high temperatures, especially to protect the elderly and people with underlying health conditions.
Seven overseas TAT offices in Europe -- in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Prague, Stockholm, Moscow and Rome -- were instructed to roll out the marketing campaign dubbed "Blooming & Bright Amazing Thailand" to promote summer trips to Thailand during the rainy season, offering travellers a break from the extreme heat and lower room rates than during the fourth quarter, said Ms Thapanee.
The joint marketing campaigns with airlines and tour operators are expected to generate sales of 126,520 tour packages during the low season, while creating awareness among at least 81.4 million travellers in Europe, according to the TAT.
The partner agencies include G Adventures in the UK, Tropical Sky in Italy, and Taiwan's EVA Air, which operates several routes between Europe and Thailand.
As of June 20, the number of long-haul travellers to Thailand this year totalled 5.2 million, down 1.73% year-on-year, attributed to a 31.9% decline in the Middle Eastern market.
Of the total, European markets accounted for 4.17 million travellers, down by 0.01%. The TAT offices in Stockholm and Prague recorded growth of 9.13% and 11.2%, respectively, while the markets served by the Rome and London offices recorded the largest declines, at 4.86% and 3.29%.
The US and Canadian markets maintained similar arrival numbers to last year, recording growth of 0.53% and 2.83%, respectively.
The TAT said it aims to achieve growth of at least 2-3% from the 8.2 million European arrivals recorded in 2025.
