Bangkok--13 Sep--Spark Communications
Spending up 34 percent on 2010; Americans, Australians, British top list of spenders
The Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2011 proved to be a huge success among international shoppers with THB 27.4 billion being spent by foreign Visa cardholders during the annual Sale, a 34 percent increase on the same period in 2010[1].
The THB 27.4 billion spend shows continued strong performances in the tourism and retail industries this year. Visa cardholders from US, Australia and the UK were the top three spenders and the top spend categories, excluding airfare and accommodation, were jewelry, hospitals and duty-free.
To encourage more visitors to visit Thailand during the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2011, Visa worked with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to roll out a series of roadshows in key markets and also utilized its network to promote the Sale overseas either through Visa-led marketing campaigns or in conjunction with client banks and merchants. The key source markets included Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Mainland China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea as well as Oman, the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar.
This helped encourage greater spending from these source markets with two of them, Singapore and the UAE, featured in the top ten spend list. Asia Pacific countries also featured strongly in this year’s Sale with Australia, Japan and Singapore in the top ten while other countries such as Germany bounced back with increased spending this year.
Somboon Krobteeranon, Country Manager, Thailand, Visa said: “As the preferred partner for the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2011, we are delighted to see strong results which have boosted Thailand’s retail and tourism sectors. The results show that Thailand is regarded as a premier shopping destination in Asia and Visa is once again delighted to have been able to work with our partners to design and deliver another successful Amazing Thailand Grand Sale.”
“Our customized campaigns were a great success and the results also reflect the growing importance of Asian tourists to the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale and the Thai economy,” added Krobteeranon.
Visa worked with merchants throughout Thailand to enhance the shopping experience at this year’s Sale, and Visa cardholders were able to enjoy attractive promotions, special prizes and a host of other special benefits.
This year marked Visa’s 13th year as the preferred partner for the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale, and demonstrates Visa’s commitment to helping retailers and businesses boost business, stimulating inbound tourism traffic and encouraging commerce throughout the country.
TAT Governor, Suraphon Svetasreni, said: "This year's Amazing Thailand Grand Sale was most successful, especially after the recent global recession. This success is also thanks to Visa's promotion to Visa cardholders for which we are most grateful. This has also resulted in helping the economic recovery of Thailand."
Top 10 contributors to visitor spending in Thailand during the Grand Sale, as measured by spending on Visa-branded payment cards[2], were:
1. United States
2. Australia
3. United Kingdom
4. Japan
5. Norway
6. France
7. Singapore
8. UAE
9. Sweden
10. Germany
For further media information, please contact:
Waruch-on Manomairat
Spark Communications
Tel: 02 653 2717-9
Email:
[email protected]
[1] Data obtained from VisaVue Travel Data, June 15 —August 15, 2011.
[2] Data obtained from VisaVue Travel Data, June 15 —August 15, 2011.