PHOTO: The X2 Chiang Mai South Gate brings a little serenity to central Chiang Mai. (Courtesy of X2)

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is looking to promote tourism under the banner of a new global marketing campaign, “2015 Discover Thainess.” The campaign underscores the values associated with the country. “We are emphasizing on the distinctive character of Thainess which entails the Thai way of life, Thai culture and Thai experiences that distinguish Thailand as a unique tourist destination,” said Thawatchai Arunyik, the TAT governor. The TAT has been taking their new message on the road to the very same long-haul markets that may have been damaged by the civil unrest earlier this year and the subsequent military seizure of the government.

In London at the World Travel Mart and at the recently concluded International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) in Cannes, the TAT laid out its strategic marketing plans and tactical promotional activities.

The year began to close out positively for Thai tourism as China provided a 67 percent surge in arrivals in October, giving it a 6.14 percent in visitors over October, 2013. It’s the first month of positive growth this year. Altogether some 2,180,601 travelers arrived in Thailand in October, included 501,043 visitors from China, a market share of 23 percent. The upturn raised the total number of arrivals in January-October to 19,736,600.

The exemption of visa fees for Chinese travelers, from the Mainland and Taipei, was seen as a catalyst for the surge. October is a major month for Chinese holidays. Other markets feeding the surge came from Thailand’s short-haul ASEAN neighbors including Malaysia (11 percent), Singapore (4.92 percent), Myanmar (48.6 percent), Cambodia (16.4 percent), the Philippines (4.6 percent) and Brunei (0.99 percent). India’s 87,990 arrivals reflected a growth of 9.14 percent. The TAT had targeted 25.5 million visitors for 2014.

On Jan. 26, the annual summit of the Thai hotel business will be held at the InterContinental Bangkok under the theme, "Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Organized by AMCHAM Thailand and leading hospitality consultancy C9 Hotelworks, the event is expecting some 450 delegates. "In the first half of 2014, turmoil threw Thailand's tourism industry a curve ball,” said C9 Hotelworks Managing Director Bill Barnett, who describes the new scenario as a “game-changing new paradigm that started in May 2014 that led to a series of remarkable transformations, which are rapidly taking the hospitality sector into unknown territory.”

The TAT has been in a creative battle to reclaim the high ground for a destination that’s been under attack. The publication of “Thailand: Deadly Destination,” by Australian author John Stapleton, portrayed the country in the worst possible light with its relentless focus on crime, tourism scams and sex tourism. The TAT responded with the "I Hate Thailand" video which has become a viral sensation with about 2.5 million YouTube views since its November release. The TAT calls the video an “unbranding advertisement,” that reaches an audience that the normal branding messages don’t reach.

“There’s been much hype and speculation following the release of the ‘I Hate Thailand’ video, which has been produced based on a research that an ‘unbranding’ advertisement would tend to receive more interest than a conventional branding commercial,” said Arunyik. “The intention of this video is solely to depict the renowned Thai hospitality, demonstrating that Thais are ready to be a good host and offer a helping hand to tourists who need help.”

The film is about a tourist named “James” who planned to visit Thailand for a week. James later lost his bag along with his valuable belongings. Then the script saw James got rescued by a local girl and later recovered his processions through the help of other villagers. The film concluded with James saying that he was wrong when he said he hated Thailand when he did not know the country well enough. He ended up staying two years in Thailand.

James the tourist becomes James the expat after two years. Not insignificant since Thailand was ranked No. 7 in the world’s top destination for expats according to the HSBC Expat Explorer 2014 survey, following Switzerland, Singapore, China, Germany, Bahrain and New Zealand. The report cited a “greater level of disposable income” thanks to lower expenses on such things as utilities, accommodation, public transport and groceries. Thai cuisine, Thai culture and shopping experiences in Thailand were also regarded highly by expats who participated in the survey.

Thailand’s current funk with long-haul markets hasn’t slowed the procession of new hotels that keep opening. The Mövenpick Resort Laem Yai Beach Samui opened last week with 50 rooms, pool villas, beachfront villas and two-bedroom villas. The resort is Mövenpick’s third location in Thailand, with four more planned over the next four years. The next will open in Pattaya at the end of 2015 and will be followed by Chiang Mai, Suriwongse the year after. Two additional planned properties will be located in Hua Hin and Bangkok.

The 338-room SENTIDO Graceland Khao Lak Resort & Spa opened in Khao Lak targeting family travelers. The resort is situated on the coastline of Phang Nga near Khao Sok and Phang Nga National Parks.

The X2 Chiang Mai – South Gate Villa opened on Dec. 1 as the third member of X2 Villa collection and the second in Chiang Mai. The new property is a luxury six bedroom villa located within the heart of the city, directly beside the South Gate entrance to the old city. It’s X2’s intention to create a villa network across Thailand. The new villa features six spacious bedrooms, spread out over three separate units all located within beautiful tropical gardens surrounding a large pond. In addition to the gardens, the villa includes a pool with sun beds, outdoor sala with a games room and a kitchen and dining room.

The 568-room AVANI Atrium Bangkok opened the end of November in a 23 story tower in central Bangkok. It’s the first upscale hotel under the AVANI brand to open in Thailand. The top levels of the hotel are Executive Floors.

PHOTO: The top floors of the new Avani Atrium Bangkok feature Executive Rooms. (Courtesy of Avani)