Thailand Privilege Card Co (TPC), the operator of Thailand Elite Card, is adding more privileges and services to meet high-end market expectations following poor membership sales.
Sales in fiscal 2014, which ended on Sept 30, were 94 million baht from 152 members.
Only three individual memberships (2 million baht) and 60 memberships to the Thailand Easy Access (TEA) Package (500,000 baht) were sold during October and November.
Individual membership entitles cardholders to a five-year multiple-entry visa with a one-year stay per entry, 24 complimentary rounds of golf (green fees only), 24 spa treatments per calendar year and a free annual medical check-up.
TPC said that co-branded membership with property developers (1 million baht) and family memberships (1 million baht) could not be sold in October and November.
Apisit Chuenchompoo, president of TPC, said that political uncertainty and cash flow problems caused sluggish membership sales for Thailand Elite Card.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the sole owner of TPC, has pressured the Thailand Elite Card operator to adjust its strategy to attract more customers to achieve its fiscal 2015 target of 320 million baht and 524 members.
The targets consist of 42 individual packages, 10 family packages, 12 co-branded packages with property developers and 460 TEA packages.
The Thailand Elite Card gained a new lease on life under the Yingluck Shinawatra government after facing closure.
The TPC board recently assigned Mr Apisit to focus on revenue instead of membership numbers to match the current tourism slowdown.
TPC has set its fiscal 2016 revenue target at 414 million baht while the fiscal 2017 goal is 550 million.
The company is working with 13 organisations such as the Board of Investment, the Department of International Trade Promotion, the Department of Consular Affairs and the Department for Development of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTAM) to upgrade services for Thailand Elite Card members.
Mr Apisit is confident the collaboration with DTAM will help enhance the massage service of its vendors. Thai massage is very popular among cardholders.
TPC also plans to increase the membership fee for individual packages to 3 million baht after adding 7% VAT and a 20,000-baht annual fee.