Thailand lays out master plan to attract high-end cruise ships
The latest bright idea from the Thai government is to set up new infrastructure which would attract high-end cruise ships, because there was a rumour that holiday makers on cruise-liners spend money, lots of it.
Thailand hopes to soon be a stop for high end ships and is rushing to set up the infrastructure needed to make that happen.
This research suggests that high-end holiday makers spend THB6,174 daily, which is more than the THB4,000 that is spent, on average, by foreign non-cruise tourists that visit Thailand.
Tourists from the ships that have visited Thailand in 2015 and 2016 named Laem Chabang and Koh Samui as their preferred ports. Another step Thailand may take to attract luxury cruises is to work with nearby countries to create new routes for boats and to develop a sector of Thais that may be qualified to work on these boats or to lead excursions for people coming from the boats for day trips to Thailand.
The government is currently part way through a development plan to promote ship tourism for the ports in Phuket, Phang Nga, and Koh Samui. Those projects should be complete this year and should produce an immediate uptick in cruise tourists, but not necessarily from the luxury sector.
Source: Coconuts
