How Thailand turned swipes into travelers
“GoThailand” - a proven, high-impact destination marketing concept
The campaign concept is tried and tested on a series of destinations – including on behalf of Tourism Authority of Thailand, under the campaign name GoThailand. Here, the campaign was a high-engagement, data-driven destination marketing campaign designed to inspire travelers through interactive storytelling, targeted advertising, and seamless lead-generation. Built around a mobile-first swipe platform, the campaign turned destination discovery into a playful, personalized experience - mirroring the familiar “swipe to match” format.
By blending cultural storytelling with smart digital performance tactics, GoThailand effectively increased awareness, engagement, and traveler intent for Thailand across Denmark and Sweden.
By blending cultural storytelling with smart digital performance tactics, GoThailand effectively increased awareness, engagement, and traveler intent for Thailand across Denmark and Sweden.
A concept that transforms inspiration into action
At the heart of the campaign was an intuitive swipe guide where users “match” with their ideal Thai destination by liking or skipping experience cards (e.g., food, culture, nature, activities). This interactive flow not only boosted engagement but also built rich behavioral insights based on traveler preferences.
After finding their perfect match, users entered a competition to win flights, driving exceptionally high participation and opt-ins for further email marketing.
Therefore, this approach enables destinations to inspire travelers at scale while collecting first-party data and deep category insights.
After finding their perfect match, users entered a competition to win flights, driving exceptionally high participation and opt-ins for further email marketing.
Therefore, this approach enables destinations to inspire travelers at scale while collecting first-party data and deep category insights.
Integrated, multi-channel execution
The campaign combined four major components for maximum reach:
- Interactive swipe platform:A custom-built experience that converts casual curiosity into active destination interest. 18,575 participants completed the full experience and 12,385 opted into marketing communications (67.5% conversion).
- Paid & organic social media:High-performing ads and social storytelling was activated across Facebook and Instagram in both Denmark and Sweden. The ads generated 2.7 million impressions and 47,673 clicks from paid social alone, resulting in an exceptional cost efficiency.
- Influencer collaborations:Trusted Scandinavian creators added authenticity, relevance, and aspirational storytelling. This activation resulted in a reach of more than 449,000 and more than 5,000 engagements.
- Trade & industry partnerships:Targeted exposure was achieved through strategic media and trade channels. Over 223,000 impressions from trade publications were secured, strengthening tour operator visibility and alignment.
Key audience insights uncovered
The campaign also generated a significant volume of traveler behavior data, revealing clear patterns in visitor motivation. E.g., the campaign data revealed the strongest interest in authentic culture, natural beauty, local cuisine, and relaxation, while lower interest was seen for highly urban or contemporary lifestyle themes.
These insights shaped a series of actionable traveler segments for future targeting.
The campaign also generated a significant volume of traveler behavior data, revealing clear patterns in visitor motivation. E.g., the campaign data revealed the strongest interest in authentic culture, natural beauty, local cuisine, and relaxation, while lower interest was seen for highly urban or contemporary lifestyle themes.
These insights shaped a series of actionable traveler segments for future targeting.
Campaign impact
The campaign exceeded expectations across all KPIs, strengthening Thailand’s branding as an accessible, diverse, and emotionally compelling travel destination.
Performance highlights
Performance highlights
- 18,575 engaged participants in the swipe journey
- 12,385 new marketing leads for future retargeting
- High destination interaction, especially for culture- and nature-oriented regions
- 48,823 total clicks across paid and organic channels
- 449,180 influencer reach
- Multi-million total reach across all touchpoints
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Maitchify gave Tourism Authority of Thailand two minutes of undivided traveler attention - exploring, dreaming and discovering Thailand's many sides
Why this campaign model works for any destination
The campaign demonstrates a scalable, repeatable framework that can be applied to any destination:
What makes it successful?
What makes it successful?
- Gamification boosts engagement
- Mobile-first design fits Nordic travelers’ behavior
- Data-rich format provides actionable segmentation
- Multi-channel integrations ensure massive reach
- Highly shareable content fuels organic amplification
- Strong incentive mechanics drive participation and opt-ins
Whether the goal is lead-generation, brand positioning, or destination education, this campaign model is adaptable to any market and any destination story.
The campaign proves that when inspiration, interactivity, and performance marketing come together, destinations can build both emotional resonance and measurable results. This concept not only drives awareness but also delivers high-value leads, deep audience insights, and a long-term foundation for future marketing communications.
The campaign proves that when inspiration, interactivity, and performance marketing come together, destinations can build both emotional resonance and measurable results. This concept not only drives awareness but also delivers high-value leads, deep audience insights, and a long-term foundation for future marketing communications.