Single during 'COVID-19' coronavirus pandemic, can be a nightmare to some people.
To attract those people, as well as to revive its tourism sector, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the country's official travel body, is planning itineraries throughout the country, by first launching three pilot trips.
The first would be a day-long experience that includes sightseeing, dinner and a talk from a Feng Shui expert "who will share tips on how to pay homage to Buddha and ask for blessings." The other two pilot experiences include a beachside party and concert, and a train trip.
In all, itineraries include places in Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lop Buri-Saraburi, Udon Thani-Loei, Chumphon-Surat Thani, Phuket, Pattaya and Ayutthaya.
According to TAT on a dedicated web page:
"To promote domestic tourism by targeting single people and encouraging travel without fear of loneliness. This project was initiated from the aim of TAT. In encouraging more single people to travel This is in line with the concept of the Tinder app that focuses on meeting new friendships."
At this time, Thailand's borders are technically open to foreign tourists who are willing to quarantine themselves first for two weeks and pay for a visa application. The "Single Journey" initiative however, is primarily aimed at locals as a way to encourage domestic travel.
"The 'Single Journey' targets solo travelers who prefer to travel alone to various destinations in Thailand," TAT Governor, Yuthasak Supasorn, said in a press statement.
"Tourism connects people, and some people might end up being lifetime partners. Tourists can also help support tourism and the economy during tough times," said Thapanee Kiatphaibool, TAT deputy governor for tourism products and business.
Following the pilot trips, TAT wants to continue the campaigns to target singles, aiming to drive at least 7 million domestic trips, generating at least ฿100 million in tourism income during the first quarter of 2021.
The TAT expects to raise awareness of this campaign via social media.
And most notably, by partnering with popular dating app Tinder to help offer the packages, especially for matchmaking purposes.
Thapanee said that throughout 2021, the TAT and partners that also include airlines and tour operators aim to more than 20 tourism routes nationwide singles looking for a match, as well as for solo travelers.
For the Kingdom of Thailand, tourism is one of its biggest economic contributor.
In many occasions, TAT uses the slogan "Amazing Thailand" to promote Thailand internationally. In 2015, this was supplemented by a "Discover Thainess" campaign.
For many years, Thailand has earned numerous international rankings for tourisms.
This includes Bangkok as one of the world's top-visited cities, Pattaya and Phuket as two of the top ranked places based on number of visitors, the Best Countries ranking for adventure and cultural heritage, scoring high on "Natural Resources" and "Tourist Service Infrastructure", one of the "top tourist destination" in the world, among others.
But the coronavirus pandemic has changed people's travel behavior dramatically that TAT Governor said that it needed a new strategy.
“The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has changed travel behavior and necessitates that we think ‘out-of-the-box’. The ‘Single Travel Route’ targets solo travelers who prefer to travel alone to various destinations in Thailand,” the TAT Governor said.
At this time, Thailand recently experienced a rise of hazardous PM2.5 ultra-fine dust particles that exceeded the safe level in 11 locations in Bangkok and the surrounding provinces. Besides the pandemic and some others, this is also a factor that directly affects tourism sentiment.
This is one of the reasons why TAT is focusing on the local and on a more niche market to revive Thailand's tourism, while maintaining stringent public health practices such as social distancing.
