The hotel will strengthen the Northern province as it prepares to welcome local and overseas travelers. AWC expects exponential growth of 19 affiliated hotels in the group as Thailand reopens.

10 April 2022, Chiang Mai, Thailand – The Tourism Authority of Thailand, along with Asset World Corp Public Company Limited or AWC, Thailand’s leading integrated lifestyle real estate group, continues to drive the Thai economy and revive tourism with the opening of Meliá Chiang Mai, as the country prepares to welcome local and overseas travelers back during the Songkran festival. The company expects exponential growth at its 19 affiliated hotels as visitors return to Thailand.

Ms. Somradee Chitchong, Deputy Governor for Administration, Tourism Authority of Thailand, or TAT, revealed that since 1 April 2022, Thailand has relaxed travel restrictions for visitors, with the mandatory pre-departure RT-PCR test result no longer required to enter the country. Travelers will only need to do the Test & Go on the first day of arrival and an ATK self-rapid test on the fifth day, resulting in more incoming flights and tens of thousands of tourists traveling to Thailand each day. That number will continue to increase during 2022, with the TAT expecting to welcome 7 million foreign tourists, who will generate THB 1.07 trillion and once again be a powerful engine to drive Thailand’s economy.

Ms. Somradee added that the government planned to remove all travel restrictions and return to pre-COVID-19 (before 2020) normalcy by proposing to the Order of the Center for the Administration of the Situation due to the Outbreak of the Communicable Disease Coronavirus (COVID-19) to cancel the Thailand Pass registration and other measures including the Test & Go and Sandbox from 1 June 2022, to boost the Thai tourism industry.

TAT will promote the tourism industry in 2022 with the “Amazing Thailand New Chapter” concept in response to the needs of travelers and the government’s policy. TAT will create a new normal tourism in every dimension by cooperating with the government and private sector, including the 19 affiliated hotels of AWC, to develop products and services. Innovation and technology will be applied to increase the standard of health and safety to satisfy the needs of the “new normal” travelers and create more economic value for the tourism industry.

“In addition to this, TAT will still continue the Workation Paradise Throughout Thailand for the third consecutive year. The Working & Outing from Somewhere that turns every place into a work and travel destination is still a popular trend and will boost both local and international tourism. This trend will also attract more meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) travelers to Thailand, which will help revenue growth in tourism in big cities around the country, boosting the economy,” Ms. Somradee concluded.

Mrs. Wallapa Traisorat, CEO and President of Asset World Corp Public Company Limited or AWC, said that since the beginning of 2022, the company has started to see positive signs of the overall economic revival in correspondence with the government’s measures to revive economic activities. In the second quarter, there will be long holidays where people will travel, spend time with family, and dine out, creating more spending opportunities and money in circulation within the country.

“The company is ready to welcome both local and overseas travelers and is confident that when the situation improves in 2022, all of AWC’s business segments will revive and see exponential growth. This is in accordance with the worldwide increase of traveling trends such as Long Stay and Workation, which creates more travel opportunities during weekdays and more opportunities for employees to work from anywhere or in a different atmosphere,” Mrs. Wallapa said.

Overall reservations at AWC affiliated hotels in 2022 has increased by 100%, in comparison to the same period of last year. The company has invested in new high-quality projects and cooperated with the world’s leading partners to prepare for the revival of the country’s economy and the tourism industry, as well as providing a new experience for customers and establishing a work and travel destination with international standards.

Moreover, AWC continues to expand its hotel portfolio with the grand opening of Meliá Chiang Mai on 10 April 2022. The 5-star hotel has 260 rooms and is ready to welcome travelers post-COVID-19. Situated in a prime location near the Ping River and Night Bazaar, a famous tourist attraction in Chiang Mai, the hotel provides a new alternative for MICE travelers with grand meeting rooms and the “CHIANGMAI CHARM”, an integrated design concept of local art and culture, including local food and products that represent the identity of Chiang Mai. To correspond to our customers new lifestyle which has changed during the COVID-19 situation, the hotel emphasizes health and the environment through the "360 Cuisine" concept where the hotel works closely with local farmers. Promoting socially responsible production for communities and a sustainable food chain by focusing on sourcing local ingredients from organic farms, such as the Ori9in Farm and the Royal Project, which can both be experienced at the hotel’s dining room. Another highlight not to be missed is the spectacular view from Mai The Sky Bar, the tallest roof top bar in Chiang Mai. The hotel is the first in Chiang Mai and the North of Thailand under the Meliá brand, a leading resort brand from Spain.

The company is confident in the potential of Chiang Mai as an economic and cultural center of the north and is ready to support the tourism industry to drive the economy with the development of high-quality projects in the heart of the city. AWC aims to expand its hotel portfolio with three projects within 2022 by cooperating with international partners including Marriott International (Le Meridien Chiang Mai), Meliá (Meliá Chiang Mai), and International Hotel Group or IHG (Intercontinental Chiang Mai Meaping, expected to open by the end of the year.). All of this is with the objective to drive Chiang Mai to be the center of luxury tourism in the region and the country.

At present, AWC has 19 affiliated hotels in the group, located in six main tourist destinations around the country including Bangkok, Krabi, Hua Hin, Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Koh Samui, with a total of 5,201 rooms.