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Luzi Matzig in TravelAsia
TravelAsia, August 14, 1998
Age-old temples, pre-historic pottery excavations, elephant round-up festivals - all this and more await visitors to the north-eastern region of Thailand. The opening of an ancient Khmer temple site straddling the Cambodian border may just be the pull for more visitors. Margo Towie reports. Promotion of Thailand’s little visited north-eastern region will be boosted by the opening of Preah Viharn temple, an ancient Khmer temple site straddling the Cambodian border. The site’s opening adds force to a joint Tourism Authority of Thailand-private sector drive to increase the number of visitors to Thailand’s north-east, known locally as Isaan. Only one per cent of inbound tourists travel to Isaan and most are repeat visitors. The joint marketing drive aims to increase awareness of the region’s appeal to a larger group of potential visitors. "We’re trying to move first timers, especially from Hong Kong and China, by using the Mekong River as a target," says TAT director of marketing promotion, Patpong Abhijatapong. Diplomatic efforts are proceeding to allow Chinese visitors arriving on river tours from China’s Yunnan province to enter Isaan on border passes rather than visas, says Patpong. "We’d like to see more people using our gateways into and out of Indochina." The Japanese market holds strong potential, he says, from older visitors interested in cultural sites to younger travellers keen on soft adventure. Agents identify repeat visitors from Europe, especially French, German, Dutch, Swiss and a growing number of Italians, as the strongest existing source of demand. A travel exchange jointly organised by the TAT and private sector held in the provincial centre of Khon Kaen from August 8 to 12 drew some 200 overseas buyers to view products showcased by local operators. The event highlighted attractions and the prospect of cross-border tours to Laos and Cambodia and beyond into Vietnam and southern China’s Yunnan province. "There’s a lot of potential to build up cross-border business," says Luzi Matzig, group manager for Diethelm Travel, which has subsidiaries in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Gateways along the north-east’s borders with Laos and Cambodia, through a planned entrance point for access to Preah Vihear temple, enhance Isaan’s appeal by broadening product development options.
"We’re looking at developing overland tours through Laos to Hue in Vietnam," says Matzig. "It gives us a highlight at the end of the tour that’s hard to get if you’re confined to Isaan because there you’re faced with a long drive to a transit point from wherever you end your tour." Selling Isaan alone is acknowledged as a hard slog because of long distances between attractions. Higher transit costs coupled with higher hotel room rates make north-eastern tours less competitive than the more popular northern and southern Thailand destinations, agents say. "A hotel room that would cost 600 baht in the north is 1,000 baht in the north-east," says Pitanu Boonyaratvej, general manager of Arlymere Travel. Khon Kaen, Isaan’s gateway city, boasts Thailand’s only functioning Sofitel, the five star product of the Accor group. The brand’s well-known profile among Europeans in particular has helped attract visitors to the north-east. Marketing by the 287-room property, which opened some two years ago, is beginning to put the region on the international map. But it will take around a decade before the north-east becomes well known, says Chartchai Suwanasevok, director of communications for the Hotel Sofitel Khon Kaen. The Accor corporate marketing network helps boost the hotel marketing efforts, he adds. Chartchai notes the region has plenty of hotel rooms and the Sofitel aims to position itself as a gateway property to tours going in and coming out of the north-east. Says TAT’s Patpong, "Infrastructure in the north-east is in place to support many more tourists than it is now seeing." The main highway to the region is one of the best in Thailand and there are airports in Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani, Nong Khai, Udon Thani, Nakorn Rachasima and Buriram. Isaan’s attractions deliver rich rewards to those tenacious enough to pursue them. "The sites are undisturbed and there are not so many tourists," says Pitanu. The opening of Preah Vihear temple will add to the region’s cultural highlights that include Phimai temple, Phanom Rung temple and pre-historic pottery excavations at Ban Chiang. The region’s annual November Elephant Round-up festival in Surin is fast gaining international profile and its popularity requires operators to book hotel rooms well ahead. "We took three groups of 40 last year and have a 50 per cent increase in bookings this year from Germany," said Pitanu. "It’s a niche market, over 35 (years old) and well travelled." A host of lesser known regional festivals holds potential for packaging; for instance, a procession of huge, intricately carved waxed candles on the night of a religious holiday in July, says Pitanu. A colourful rocket festival in Yasothon in the second weekend of May and a parade of men in spirit masks each June in Loei are among other annual regional events staged by the 19 provinces that make up Isaan.
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