Some of the world’s top women executives in the travel and tourism industry concluded a highly successful conference in Bangkok, and have promised to follow it up by sending many more of their clients to Thailand in future for business and pleasure.
The annual convention of the International Federation of Women’s Travel Organisations (IFWTO) was attended by about 120 delegates and spouses, most of whom are owners or senior managers from travel and tourism companies in 19 countries.
In addition to their main conference, the IFWTO members enjoyed a broad range of social programmes and tours, both within Bangkok and other regions. Each of them spent an average of eight days in the country.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand Acting Governor and Deputy Governor for Marketing Mrs. Juthamas Siriwan said, “It was a pleasure and honour to host this important event which is entirely in line with our very specific objective to boost the number of women travellers to Thailand.
“We hope the exposure they have received to Thai hospitality, friendliness and service standards will go a long way towards underscoring our reputation as a safe and welcoming country.”
IFWTO President Marilyn Byfield commented, “It was very good to hold this year’s convention in Thailand so that our members could experience a new culture and country. We hope to start an IFWTO chapter in Thailand to boost membership among the many influential Thai women involved in the industry.
“There is no doubt that the convention will bring significant benefits to Thailand as well. The standards of hospitality and services we received were outstanding and I am sure many of our members will send their clients to Thailand for both business and pleasure.”
Of Thailand’s 10.06 million visitor arrivals in 2001, 4.04 million were women, a growth of 5.7% over 2001. The roughly 60:40 male:female ratio is a substantial improvement over the 65:35 ratio it used to be in the early 1990s, and also reflects the growing number of women travellers worldwide.
TAT has targetted women travellers as part of its marketing strategy for many years. A number of new products and campaigns like shopping festivals, health, spa and beauty facilities as well as Thai cooking short-courses have been developed to follow through on that strategy.
The next shopping festival organised under the theme of “Amazing Thailand Grand Sale, Grand Service” is to be held between June 1 – July 31. A similar sale will be held in December-January, the best time to shop for Christmas and New Year presents. During these festivals, visitors can enjoy price reductions of 10-80% on various items offered by department stores, shopping complexes, restaurants, and amusement parks nationwide.
At the same time, Thailand’s huge range of health resorts and spas in major tourist cities nationwide offer superb herbal treatments and traditional massage, all of very high and certifiable standards.
Founded in 1969, IFWTO aims to develop a global network of travel professionals and improve the status of women in the industry. It has over 3,000 members in 35 countries, including North America, Europe, Australia, Japan and Asia. The IFWTO’s current president, Marilyn Byfield, is President of Centennial Travel, Vancouver, Canada. The world headquarters is in Scottsdale, Arizona.
According to a recent membership survey, 65% are the sole or primary earner in their household; 34% are business owners; 37% are in other managerial positions; 46% are in sales and marketing; 41% are employed by travel agencies and 12% by airlines; 52% earn between US$25,000 and $54,999 and 4% over $100,000; 47% are 51-65 years of age and 41% are under 50.
Women play a significant role in travel and tourism, as employers, managers, employees and travellers. The industry is one of the biggest employers of women, especially in point-of-contact jobs like cabin crew, telephone operators, waitresses. As travellers, they are the primary decision-makers in many a family about the choice of holiday destination. |
