Thailand is widely known for being one of the most popular tourist hotspots in the world with good food, good people and good stay. But in recent years, the kingdom has turned into one of the best places for investment in the region as the Milken Institute announced its Global Opportunity Index (GOI) recently ranked Thailand in second place among the emerging and developing countries (E&D) in the Asia region. Moreover, it is known throughout the globe that Thailand is also a top choice for retirees to stay as well.
To provide the best experience for those staying in the kingdom, the Tourism Authority of Thailand offers Thailand Privilege Card for privileged visas, creating delightful experiences, and offering seamless assistance to its valued members.
Thailand Privilege Card, the operator of the special membership card programme under the supervision of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), highlights Thailand’s potential as a country trusted by foreigners in various aspects, evidenced by global tourist rankings and being a Top of Mind Destination, supported by factors such as being a business hub in Southeast Asia and investment opportunities, a key centre for healthcare and service sectors, renowned cuisine, known as the world’s kitchen, and importantly, Thai hospitality, resulting in significant growth for Thailand Privilege Card over the past 20 years, reaffirming its leadership in long-term visa privileges.
Mr. Manatase Annawat, President of Thailand Privilege Card, stated, “The overall operation of Thailand Privilege Card in fiscal year 2023 achieving the goal of increasing membership by more than 11,846 members, up by 108%. This underscores the potential and business development opportunities as well as reflects the role of the organization in stimulating foreign currency inflows of over 38,000 million baht in the past year, while also strengthening Thailand Privilege Card’s position as a global-level long-term visa privilege provider, offering exclusive privileges in every dimension, meeting the comprehensive needs of members under the three main missions that differentiate Thailand Privilege Card from other competitors: 1) Being the foremost provider of long-term visa services for foreigners seeking residency of 20 years or more in Thailand, 2) Offering exclusive services at the country’s main airports, and 3) Providing other benefits covering various aspects of members’ lifestyles, such as accommodation, travel, leisure, healthcare, and financial prosperity, along with showcasing success after rebranding the organization with the introduction of the ‘Thailand Privilege Card’ product. With four new packages introduced last year, the company had a total of 31,231 members in 2023, with top five nationalities being China, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia.”
In 2023, Thailand Privilege Card continues to focus on expanding its membership base to key target groups from countries including China, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Russia, and Europe, as well as expanding its customer base to new target groups, such as India, the Middle East, or the LGBTQIA+ community, which has strong purchasing power. Furthermore, the emphasis remains on elevating the quality of products and benefits to deliver an exceptional experience under the Long-term visa with more privileges concept, the leading long-term visa privilege provider globally, with the comprehensive MORE strategy covering and meeting the needs of target groups in every dimension, as follows:
M – Member Centric: Studying member satisfaction and needs to enhance the quality of products and benefits, offering services and benefits from more than 300 partner establishments covering various lifestyles, such as Stay, Travel, Leisure, Health & Well-being, and Wealth, to create the highest satisfaction by collecting data through research and understanding member behavior and needs.
O – Opportunity: Exploring new channels and opportunities to expand markets and membership bases constantly, such as officially recruiting new sales representatives or GSSAs to expand markets, increase sales, and reach target groups more comprehensively and efficiently, developing communication channels both online and offline, domestically and internationally, and communicating with target groups.
R – Responsibility: Being responsible and ethical towards society, the environment, employees, shareholders, business partners, and stakeholders.
E – Excellence: Striving for excellence in organizational management (Operational Excellence) and using technology to enhance efficiency and work quality (Digital Excellence), as well as developing employees towards excellence (People Excellence).
Currently, Thailand Privilege Card membership comprises four types of cards:
GOLD: Membership fee of 900,000 baht, valid for 5 years, with the ability to earn 20 points per year.
PLATINUM: Membership fee of 1.5 million baht, valid for 10 years, with the ability to earn 35 points per year.
DIAMOND: Membership fee of 2.5 million baht, valid for 15 years, with the ability to earn 55 points per year.
RESERVE: Membership fee of 5 million baht, valid for 20 years++, with the ability to earn 120 points per year. This is the only card type that is invitation-only and is limited to a maximum of 100 members per year.
Mr. Manatase added that the company will continue to expand its membership moving forward with Korea and the European Union as its secondary target behind top prospects such as China, Japan, US, UK and Russia. Meanwhile, India and GCC will be the new market destinations to focus on.
Thailand Privilege Card has made itself well known to the world. The logo and promotion of the company has appeared in tourist hotspots such as the Time Square in New York, Premier League’s banner, Thailand’s Rajadamnern Stadium and other tourist attraction places. Notably, Thailand Privilege Card will appear on an in-flight media in every Thai Airways flight and boarding pass as well.“With the strategies in place and the potential of Thailand, we are confident that within 2024, Thailand Privilege Card will be able to reach target groups comprehensively and efficiently, with the goal of having more than 39,000 members, contributing to the country’s economy with over 50,000 million baht and moving towards global leadership in long-term visa privileges,” concluded Mr. Manatase.