A Branding Of Muay Thai And Tourism In Thailand

Abstract

Thailand is among the top tourism destinations in the world with its unique culture and natural offerings, its hospitality, and its location at the center of Southeast Asia. According to the assessment of Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) by World Economic Forum, Thailand was ranked #35 from 141 countries assessed and was particularly strong on Natural Resources (#16), Air Transport Infrastructure (#17), and Tourist Service Infrastructure (#21) (The Ministry of Tourism and Sport of Thailand, n.d.). Therefore, promoting Thailand as the leading tourism destination in the region of sports tourism targeting high potential segments such as sports tourism is one of the primary goals of the Thai government. This plan aimed to increase income from the existing sports infrastructure, and use sport tourism to help the promotion of awareness and interesting in sport and exercise among Thai people (Department of Tourism, 2015). In addition, the development of sports tourism is also encouraged by focusing on Thailand's own products to match the needs and behaviors of tourists.The target markets of sport tourism are mentioned with 5 special categories: 1 / natural sport tourism, 2 / man-made sport tourism, 3 / natural and man-made sport tourism, 4 / tourism sports events and 5 / traditional sports. Moreover, Thailand has enough of its own products and services to serve these potential target markets. Therefore, the awareness of products and services that need to be met according to international standards and the marketing competitiveness of Thailand needs to be enhanced at the international level.