Sailing events in Thailand prove valuable for the tourism industry

Events generate income for the local communities.
Regattas attract repeat guests to Thailand’s shores.

Phuket, 6 December 2008: Over 50% of the sailors who participated in the 22nd Phuket King’s Cup Regatta have been coming to sail in Thailand for more than 5 years, a recent survey shows. It is clear Thailand is a popular sailing destination with international sailors returning many times to enjoy the cruising grounds and sailing events Thailand has to offer. The same survey found that 32.5% come to sail in Thailand once a year, for Phuket King’s Cup Regatta.

The survey ‘Sailing in Thailand’ was conducted by the Top Of the Gulf Regatta in co-operation with the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, and aims to find out sailing trends in Thailand and provide useful information to help attract international sailors, repeat and new, to participate in more sailing events in Thailand.

The survey was conducted during the registration days of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta (29 Nov – 30 Nov 2008), which started last weekend and has attracted 93 yachts. The survey of 123 sailors of 24 nationalities provided some interesting insights. 32.5% of Phuket King's Cup Regatta participants said they come to sail in Thailand once year, for the Phuket King's Cup Regatta, while 22% said they come more than five times per year. And 38% said they have been sailing in Thailand for more than 10 years.

In further support of the fact Thailand continues to attract repeat sailors, when asked which Thailand regatta have they participated in before, 32% said Samui Regatta, 26% Phuket Raceweek, 25% Top of the Gulf Regatta, 24% Phang Nga Bay Regatta and 13% Hua Hin Regatta. All those surveyed were at the Phuket King's Cup Regatta and were thus taking part in the Phuket King's Cup Regatta.

When organising a regatta, it is always difficult to find out the best way to promote the event and reach the sailing community. The survey found that 'Friends/Sailing Community' and 'Specific Event Website' were the most popular sources of information for the participants scoring 72% and 42% respectively. The more traditional means of promotion – magazine and TV advertising/promotion, and Government-supported promotion – scored very low in the survey.

One aim of the survey was to find out what kind of people, and from where, attend the Phuket King's Cup Regatta, and approximately how much money does an event like the Phuket King's Cup Regatta generate for the local economy. It was found that participants in the Phuket King's Cup Regatta are truly international with 37% from Asia, 29% from Europe, 23% from Australia and New Zealand, and 6% from the USA and Canada.

The survey also found that on average each participant would spend approximately 40,000THB on accommodation, food and drink during their time at the Phuket King's Cup Regatta. Based on the official participant figures, the 2008 Phuket King's Cup Regatta has generated over 30 million THB for the local economy. Not included in this are costs associated with hosting the event, corporate hospitality by sponsors, fees received by charter companies, and more. All which are as a direct result of the hosting of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta.

While the Phuket King's Cup Regatta is the largest sailing event in Thailand, other regattas also generate considerable income for the respective local economies through participant accommodation, food and drink, fees for charter agents, event organisational costs. All of which is income delivered direct into the local economy and which is important in job security and creation.

Each of these sailing events offers a unique sailing experience. The Top of the Gulf Regatta is a marina-based regatta where each days racing starts from and returns to Ocean Marina, while the Phuket King's Cup Regatta, Samui Regatta and Hua Hin Regatta are beach-based regattas. Phuket Racweek uses the Evason Phuket & Six Senses Spa as its base, which has a jetty to facilitate access, while the Phang Nga Bay Regatta is live-aboard style, sailing to different venues each day.

Mr. Kevin Whitcraft, President of the 22nd Phuket King’s Cup Regatta commented, “The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta remains the most popular event in Thailand and attracts repeat sailors to Phuket generating revenues for Thailand’s tourism industry. We have been organising the regatta for 22 years and the event continues to grow in popularity. We the organizing committee have a long-term commitment to promote Phuket and the Phuket King’s Cup for benefit of all.”

Mr. William Gasson, President of Top of The Gulf Regatta, said, “The purpose of this survey is to find out more about sailing trends, and to help promote all sailing events in Thailand and expand the sailing network throughout the country. Each sailing event and venue has different strong points and I believe that apart of creating a popular sailing event, a regatta like the Top of The Gulf Regatta can also contribute to the local community.”

For more information on the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, http://www.kingscup.com

For more information on the Top of The Gulf Regatta, http://www.topofthegulfregatta.com

For more information about the survey, please contact Top of The Gulf Regatta PR team Chanut Nawnarong/ Nungruthai Julakul Infinity Communications Tel: +66 (0) 89-512-7030 Email: chanut@infinity-comms.com

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