Bangkok’s wealthy fashionistas have long been traveling to Hong Kong to pick up the latest luxury wares, but the marketing directors of Thailand’s mega malls are looking to put an end to these shopping junkets by fortifying Bangkok’s already booming shopping scene with more luxury brands.
Bangkok’s luxury outlets, like Gaysorn Plaza, want to become a hub specifically for Asian shoppers, according to Satima Tanabe, general manager of the luxurious Bangkok institution.
Last year 15 million Asian tourists passed through the Capital, and the number is expected to grow to 18 million this year. Are we ready for even more busloads of Chinese shoppers in our malls?
Thailand has more malls than any of it’s neighboring countries and is set to become a leading destination for good-seekers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, according to The Nation.
As Western travelers cut back on spending, Asian tourists are opening their wallets at an exponential rate. “Of the foreign tourists visiting our shopping mall, Asian shoppers have surged from 50 per cent in 2010 to 80-90 per cent last year” says Ms. Tanabe.
The surge in luxury wristwatch sales is a good indicator of general luxury shopping trends. Kuntol Boonkrajang, senior vice president of PMT The Hourglass, a fine watch importer, says that international brands have seen huge potential in the Thai market, which has prompted them to expand their retail network in anticipation of the growing number of shoppers in the near future.
