The Mall Group has joined forces with three partners—the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Indian Association of Thailand, and the Thai-Indian Trade and Tourism Association—to bring the Amazing Thailand Grand Diwali Festival 2026 to EM District, advancing a Tourism Marketing strategy that builds on the concept From Volume to Value.
Ms. Woralak Tulaporn, Chief Marketing Officer of The Mall Group, explained their approach to country marketing for shopping centers today: For The Mall Group, Tourism Marketing starts with understanding what holds enough value to make people choose to visit.
Because destinations worldwide today compete not just for visitor numbers but for travelers’ time and attention—who have options globally—marketing must begin with customer insight and use that understanding to create compelling reasons for people to come, spend time, share, and return.
From January to September 2026, The Mall Group’s shopping centers saw a 15% growth in shopping spending by foreign tourists compared to the same period last year. Notably, Indian tourists increased by 10% within that growth.
We have a key insight recognizing and understanding the connections within the community ecosystem: Thai-born Indians, Indian expatriates living and working in Thailand, and Indian tourists—not just focusing on Indian tourists alone—especially in Sukhumvit, which is one of Bangkok’s key international districts.
This area comprises Thai people, foreigners, and expat communities from various countries living, working, and doing business together. It is also an important area for foreign tourists in terms of accommodation, food, shopping, and lifestyle. From a corporate marketing perspective, The Mall Group views the resident community and tourist market as interconnected rather than separate.
Because communities have ties to their home countries, they play a vital role in creating cultural relevance, understanding, and word-of-mouth promotion to family, friends, and travel networks from those countries. These insights provide relevant reasons strong enough to attract people to come, spend time, and return.
Bringing the Amazing Thailand Grand Diwali Festival 2026 to EM District is part of a Tourism Marketing approach that leverages cultural moments into tourism opportunities by linking market understanding with the power of community and strategic partnerships.
The Diwali Festival has the potential to connect people through culture, food, music, art, fashion, and lifestyle. It also offers the Indian community in Thailand a chance to share their culture and create meaningful experiences for Thais, foreigners, and tourists alike.
This approach aligns with The Mall Group’s Destination Marketing principles focusing on three areas: Curate Experiences—selecting experiences that connect people to city life; Bring Culture to Life—making culture a tangible, engaging, contemporary experience; and Build a Destination Ecosystem—linking experiences to create reasons to visit and return.
Ms. Woralak added that becoming a global destination starts with meaning for local residents, then sharing that charm with the world. By understanding both local communities and global travelers, unique, meaningful, and valuable experiences can be created as part of their journeys. Cooperation with TAT, the Indian Association of Thailand, and the Thai-Indian Trade and Tourism Association plays a crucial role in connecting corporate marketing with community insight and the Thai-Indian tourism network, helping marketing evolve from event awareness to building long-term market relationships.
This represents a direction for Tourism Transformation under the concept of moving from Visitor Volume to Visitor Value—shifting marketing from simply attracting visitors to creating reasons for them to choose to come, stay longer, share, and return. The Diwali Festival starts on 8 November 2026, coinciding with the peak travel and shopping period for Indian tourists. A special campaign runs from 1–30 November 2026: customers who spend 8,000 baht per day at Paragon and EM District receive a 500 baht M Cash Coupon, and those spending 100,000 baht per day at EM District receive a 3,000 baht EM District Cash Coupon.