The Super World Trip BOSS Live livestream session, hosted by Trip.com in collaboration with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism & Sports, generated over THB100 million. The event showcased Thailand’s diverse charms, including its rich culture, delicious cuisine, vibrant cities, and idyllic islands. Deals were sold, with some offering up to 50% discounts. 1,000 King Power Duty Free vouchers worth THB200 each were also given away.
Hosted by Trip.com Group Vice President Ms Sun Tianxu, the session also featured special guests including Thailand’s Prime Minister Mr Srettha Thavisin, who appeared on a video warmly welcoming Chinese travellers to Thailand, as well as the Minister of Tourism and Sports Ms Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, and the Governor of the TAT Ms Thapanee Kiatphaibool, who were both at the Rosewood Bangkok venue.
Earlier in the day, Tourism and Sports Minister Ms Wangsuphakijkosol also held a meeting with Mr Bo Sun, Chief Marketing Officer, Trip.com Group, to discuss the development of the tourism industry. Also present at the meeting were TAT Governor Ms Kiatphaibool, and Trip.com Group Vice Presidents Mr Edison Chen and Ms Sun Tianxu.
Minister of Tourism and Sports Ms Wangsuphakijkosol said: “The permanent visa exemption agreement has deepened the friendship between Thailand and China, and marks a new chapter between our two countries. The Chinese tourist market has significant implications for the recovery of the Thai economy, as it is the key and major focus with high growth potential in terms of revenue and quantity. As a result, the government sector is primed to promote activities throughout Thailand, starting with Chinese New Year, which is considered the largest Chinese New Year festival outside of the People’s Republic of China. There will be activities to exchange Thai and Chinese cultures, thus attracting huge Chinese and international tourist traffic to Thailand during the season. Another highlight is the ‘World Water Festival’, as this year, the Thai Government is determined to present Songkran as a world-class festival, encouraging visits of Chinese tourists through the Chinese Ambassador, with joyful splashing activities held at several locations to celebrate the tradition throughout April.”
Mr Bo Sun, Chief Marketing Officer, Trip.com Group, added: “Thailand has always been one of the most popular destinations for Chinese travellers. Trip.com Group and TAT have been working
together for many years now – with the new visa-free travel agreement between Thailand and China in place, we look forward to continuing our close partnership to provide comprehensive support to the Thai tourism industry, and deepening the development of tourism in both countries.”
Ms Sun Tianxu, who has hosted over 200 livestream sessions over the past four years, said: “Yesterday’s Super World Trip BOSS Live was the first overseas livestream session of the year, and also the first streamed from Thailand following the mutual visa waiver agreement between Thailand and China. This continues the good relationship Trip.com Group has with the TAT. While Chinese many tourists are visiting Thailand, we also believe that China’s rich and diverse culture and landscapes are also attractive to Thais, with Thai visitors expected to become one of China’s top three sources of visitors in 2024.”
Trip.com Group launched its “Super World Trip” livestream series at the start of 2023, where the first livestream was also held in Thailand. Subsequent livestream shows in markets such as Tokyo and Hong Kong took off and generated notable inbound travel demand. It is part of the Group’s BOSS Live series of livestream sessions, an initiative led by Trip.com Group co-founder and Executive Chairman James Liang to bolster the travel industry in 2020, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. These sessions have generated a cumulative transaction volume of more than USD1.48 billion and attracted a total audience of over 1 billion global viewers.
Thailand is a key market for Trip.com Group – Bangkok was the most popular destination in Southeast Asia last year, while Phuket and Chiang Mai were also in the Top 10. The number of bookings made by Chinese tourists to Thailand for this year’s Chinese New Year has increased by over 13 times year-on-year (YoY), and searches for Thailand on Trip.com Group’s Chinese platform increased by more than 7 times following the signing of the visa-free travel agreement between Thailand and China on 28 January. In 2023, the number of searches for Thailand grew by 124.4% YoY, and was almost 200% higher than 2019 levels.
