Situation
The ignition of mass outbreak of COVID-19 continued its movement to Thailand, leading to the subsequent decline in travel. Gradually the virus spread in India which led to a complete seizure of international travel towards the end of March 2020.
Challenge
The nationwide lockdown not only brought travel to a standstill but also limited the scope for any on-ground marketing or sales activities. More importantly, it restricted all sorts of social gatherings resulting in the cancellation of prefixed roadshows and obstructed the channel of communication between the private sector of Thailand and travel trade in India.
Strategy
Conceived an extensive PAN India outreach with India’s first-ever online luxury roadshow – India Luxury Virtual Connect (ILVC) and established Tourism Authority of Thailand as a disruptive brand even in the times of a global pandemic. ILVC was planned, conceptualized, and designed in order to provide a tailor-made platform for leading buyers in India and the luxury private sector of Thailand, to connect and discuss the future roadmap of travel. In addition to the business meetings, the virtual roadshow was facilitated primarily to position the tourism board as one of the forerunners in the travel trade fraternity in India.
Outcome
The event witnessed participation from 27 Thai luxury sellers and close to 175 travel agents across the South West and North East cities of India. The platform assisted both, buyers and sellers to connect and exchange information on situational updates in Thailand and discussed future plans for travel and hospitality business. Furthermore, the virtual event was morally motivating for the travel trade whose business had come to a halt due to the unprecedented lockdown. ILVC marked as the commencement of a new remarkable era in the travel trade industry through which the world of travel can be connected by only few clicks.
