The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is expecting to attract at least 500,000 visitors from Singapore this year as flights on this route have almost returned to normal.
The agency has high hopes it can lure 150,000 tourists in the fourth quarter from Singapore, a promising short-haul market, said Tanes Petsuwan, TAT deputy governor for Asia and South Pacific.
He said this market is expected to be important for the government to reach its target of 10 million arrivals this year.
Thailand has recorded 6.9 million arrivals so far this year.
In parallel with joining ITB Asia 2022, a prominent trade show, TAT last week launched a special marketing campaign called "Singapore Goes High", partnering with eight airlines and travel agents to promote Thailand to Singaporeans by offering deals.
The campaign targets high-spending travellers, such as females who prefer wellness and gastronomy tourism, as well as sport enthusiasts, members of luxury car clubs and the top segment of credit cardholders, said Mr Tanes.
The number of repeat visitors from this market stands at 91%, with average spending of around 40,000-50,000 baht per trip.
In addition, the TAT launched another campaign called "High Aspirations" focused on young travellers aged 16-17 who have never visited Thailand before. It is working with schools and universities in Singapore to promote the campaign.
The agency wants to take advantage of ample airline seat capacity, unlike some other short-haul markets, as flights from Singapore have bounced back strongly, now reaching 62% of the pre-pandemic capacity.
There are 201 inbound flights per week from Singapore, accounting for 40,905 seats.
Moreover, there are direct flights to Koh Samui, Chiang Mai, Krabi and Hat Yai to help strengthen tourism demand.
As of Oct 19, Thailand had received 349,854 Singaporean visitors this year, ranked fifth among the inbound market.
Speaking at ITB Asia 2022 in Singapore, Mr Tanes said 14 operators from Thailand joined the event.
Gilles Cretallaz, chief operating officer at Dusit International, said business appointments during ITB Asia received better feedback than expected.
Dusit International is looking for more business travellers from Singapore, India and the Middle East, as well as long-haul markets in Europe.
Since Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore is established in the country, he said the group should be able to persuade Singaporean guests to look for its brands whenever they travel to countries that have Dusit hotels.
Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchapitprakarn said the target tourism revenue for this year of 1.5 trillion baht from foreign arrivals might be difficult to achieve as Asian markets, which make up the majority of arrivals, spend less than visitors from long-haul markets.
