What: The Mall Group has allocated 600 million baht to its year-end campaign, running from November 6 to January 10, 2027, with the aim of lifting foot traffic 20% above average levels.

Why it is important: With foreign arrivals down and per-head spending softening, the season rests on domestic visitors and families, even though foreign customers still account for around half of daily traffic at the Bangkok urban locations.

Voralak Tulaphorn, chief marketing officer of The Mall Group, describes the year-end mall sector as vibrant, as last year, supported by government and private sector events encouraging people to socialise with friends and family. She expects some Thai consumers to favour domestic travel given the global environment, while those who usually travel abroad may opt for shorter trips, leaving more time for mall visits. Spending per person may be weaker than in previous years, yet she anticipates strong visitor numbers.

Although the Tourism and Sports Ministry reported a 4.6% dip in foreign arrivals over the first ten months of 2026, she remains confident that foreign foot traffic to malls will hold up.

The Great Happy New Year 2027 campaign centres on festive experiences, entertainment, gifting and shopping promotions. The company is focusing on character marketing with the British characters Mr. Men and Little Miss, featured in immersive, multi-sensory installations, decorative lighting and interactive activities at The Mall Lifestore Bangkapi. Throughout December, concerts by Slot Machine, Tilly Birds and Taitosmith are scheduled at The Mall Lifestore Bangkapi, Bangkae and Tha Phra. Families and groups of friends form the core customer base during the year-end holidays.

IADS Notes: The year-end campaign extends the approach The Mall Group set out at the start of 2026, when it answered economic headwinds with targeted events, promotions and digital payment partnerships, noting that shoppers were visiting with a purpose and heading for food zones and family attractions (Bangkok Post, February 2026). The backdrop was already weak: slowing growth, high household debt and falling tourist arrivals had left experiential repositioning unable to fully offset soft domestic demand (The Diplomat, January 2026). On the tourist side, Thailand halved its visa-free stay to 30 days in a bid for higher-spending visitors after international arrivals fell 7% in 2025 (Inside Retail, September 2026). Bangkok malls have meanwhile become social spaces, family destinations and community anchors, where footfall generation ranks among an operator's core skills (Monocle, July 2026). The Mall Lifestore has also used M Card loyalty data to build immersive, segment-targeted campaigns, after finding that women generate over 70% of spending and shape purchases for the wider family (The Nation, August 2026).

The Mall Group targets a 20% rise in festive-season foot traffic