Krabi, a peaceful paradise in southern Thailand, has become an alluring destination for international tourists in recent years due to its distinctive charms and plentiful natural attractions.
The New York Times
recently put Krabi on its global list of 52 Places to Go in 2014, describing it as "a Phuket-like hideaway, but still unspoiled", with hundreds of pristine islands scattered around the Andaman Sea. Visitors can enjoy the picturesque coastline, kayak in the mangrove forests, climb the towering limestone cliffs or simply absorb the tranquility."Krabi has received worldwide attention as an up-and-coming destination in Thailand due to its natural beauty which has been preserved throughout the years with more sustainable growth compared to other popular destinations in Thailand," said Carlos Tarrero, general manager of Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve resort.
Significantly, local regulations in Krabi to preserve national parks and the environment have been followed, which cannot be said about many places in Thailand. "With this type of approach, Krabi is well positioned for a continuous growth not only in overall arrivals but as well in the luxury tier of arrivals," said Mr Tarrero.
The luxury market, he said, deals in exclusivity, which these days is very much related to privacy, authenticity, a secluded environment and untouched natural beauty.
"Krabi as a destination couldn't be more perfect in this context as it gives [travellers] the opportunity to explore the authentic side of Thailand full of natural beauty, culture and warm hospitality."
According to the 2014 Virtuoso Luxe Report, the main reasons why people travel include the desire to explore new destinations, to rest and relax, to seek authentic experiences in new destinations, to rediscover previously visited destinations, and to enhance personal enrichment.
Virtuoso is a luxury network encompassing 340 travel agencies with 8,900 advisers in 20 countries in North and South America, the Caribbean, Australia, and New Zealand.
"I believe that travel is about discovery and enrichment, and Krabi offer the perfect spot for both," said Mr Tarrero.
In response to the growing demand, more airlines have expanded their services to Krabi in recent years.
"The completed construction of Krabi international airport combined with increased interest from airline companies to add Krabi to their routes makes us think that this destination has potential for constant growth," he added.
Finland's national carrier, Finnair, recently announced that it was scheduling services to Krabi and Phuket. In addition, Juenyao Air started flying to Krabi three times a week from Shanghai bringing additional opportunities.
Viyada Srirangkul, director of the Krabi office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said that accessibility was one of the most important factors behind the rise in visits to Krabi.
"Earlier this year, AirAsia had increased its direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to three per day, while Malaysia Airlines offers four daily flights. Firefly (the MAS budget subsidiary) also established its new route from Penang at the beginning of September," she said.
Ms Viyada said she believed Krabi was becoming popular because of unique charms that made it different from other places in Thailand such as Phuket or Pattaya.
"It's a perfect location for a truly leisurely and relaxed vacation suitable for families or couples as the environment is very calm and peaceful," she said. "You can see that Krabi does not have large entertainment centres or shopping malls. Tourists who come to Krabi have already decided that they want to come for a quiet vacation."
Despite the positive prospects for tourism, Thailand has been dealing with an image problem since the murders last month of two British travellers on Koh Tao in the Golf of Thailand. Tourist safety, not to mention the credibility of the police, has been called into question.
Ms Viyada acknowledged the concerns but said she hadn't seen a noticeable change on the Andaman side of the country and she doesn't expect to see any decline during the coming high season.
"Many tourists these days make last-minute travel decision and bookings and they still have time before the high season approaches in November and December," she said.
As the spotlight shines more brightly on Krabi, local residents are fearful of changes that may disturb the abundant natural resources and the calmness of the area. "This has led to a common goal of local residents to promote Krabi to become a 'green tourism city' by 2020," said Ms Viyada.
"We discourage any actions that will harm nature and all activities offered are those that do not harm the environment or the atmosphere," she continued, noting that the main pursuits in the area were scuba diving, rock climbing, kayaking and cycling. "We do not encourage scooters or motor sports so you won't find 'thrilling' water sports in Krabi."
Hotels are encouraged to operate in a green manner, for example reusing and recycling materials and reducing their use of chemicals.
One positive feature of Krabi is that it seems immune to political turmoil. The unrest that convulsed many parts of the country in the months leading up to the political coup in May was barely felt here.
"Political instability might of course affect tourism arrivals into Thailand but I believe the situation in Thailand has come back to normality in a very fast and safe way and that travellers started to feel secure about travelling not long after the political happenings," said Mr Tarrero.
When it comes to foreign visitors, the top five sources, based on arrivals at Krabi airport, are China, Russia, Malaysia, Singapore and northern Europe including Finland and Sweden.
"The proportion of international tourists to Thai tourists in Krabi is 60:40," said Ms Viyada. "The international tourist groups during the high season are mostly from Scandinavia and Europe. During the low season from April to October, it's mostly Thai tourists; however, this year we have had charter flights from China since May and on average, there are seven flights per day from China."
Mr Tarrero sees great opportunities ahead as more Asians will have higher disposable income, and that will translate into travel in a big way, as the Chinese have shown. A new generation of travellers could have an especially profound impact.
Sixty percent of the world's Millennials reside in Asia, with a third originating from either China or India, according to a recent study by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), Visa and McKinsey & Company. Even before entering their prime earning years, Millennials already account for almost 35% of the $600 billion that Asians spend on international travel, it said.
"While we look at those trends as possible opportunities, we also keep increasing our market share from tradition luxury source countries such as the United States, Europe and Japan to make sure our business base is stable and diversified, so that a political or economic crisis in one country will not affect our overall demand," he added.
Dalin Snidvongs Na Ayudhya, general manager of Rayavadee Resort, said it was crucial for her property to tap into Chinese and Indian tourists as there has been a clear rise in the spending power of these countries. "Although the tourists from these two countries have steadily been increasing over the years, our top five markets are still from Europe and Scandinavia."
Ms Dalin said couples from Hong Kong and Singapore liked Krabi as a wedding and honeymoon destination and recorded longer stays than many other Asian visitors, who are known for short holidays.
Looking forward to the formation of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) next year, she noted that there were positive as well as negative aspects for the hospitality business in Thailand. One challenge will be the freer flow of skilled workers from countries where many people speak English fluently, such as the Philippines and Indonesia.
"Thai people have to be more attentive in developing their language skills, but what we have that other countries in the region do not have is the genuine service-minded nature," she said.
