Gomeze, aiming for 3,000 members by the end of the year.

Managing director Helen Gomeze established Santa Village in August this year and began by launching the Santa Claus Christmas Club and selling Christmas merchandise. She is planning to open Thailand's first Christmas resort within two years.

Located on the third floor of Peninsula Plaza, the Santa Claus Christmas Club is aimed at attracting children and others who believe that Christmas is a time to enjoy activities together and purchase Christmas merchandise at discount prices throughout the year.

The company expects to attract 3,000 members to the club by the end of next month. Entrance fees are Bt300 for single members and Bt600 for families.

Gomeze said the merchandise, which is both local and imported from Finland, consisted of 15 products, including dolls, pins, pens and Christmas accessories.

Next year, she expects to begin exporting locally produced Christmas merchandise to Finland, Hong Kong and Singapore. She plans to take samples of the Thai products to Finland in next year's first quarter, to finalise exporting deals. And while planning to export to Hong Kong and Singapore, she expects to expand the Santa Claus Christmas Club into those markets at the same time.

Gomeze also has five other business plans in the pipeline. These are selling a Thai book version of the Santa Claus story, translated from the original Finnish version; negotiating with the copyright owner of the book to arrange stage performances in Thailand; decorating places and organising Christmas events; offering tour packages to Finland three times a year with a "Finding Santa Claus" theme; and publishing a Christmas magazine.

Meanwhile, she is looking for local or foreign partners to help develop a Santa Resort, as a place for people to enjoy "the Christmas feeling" throughout the year. She hopes it will include an area with snow.

Gomeze said she would like to build the resort within two years, "at any location that has mountains, such as Nakhon Ratchasima or Chiang Mai". Initial investment should be Bt40 million to construct 10 log cabins.

She said Thais shared the Christmas mentality of celebrating, sharing and giving gifts to friends and families at festive times. Therefore, she feels confident that Santa Village has a high potential to boost Thais' enjoyment of the Christmas spirit throughout the year.

Her marketing budget for promoting Christmas through the end of next month is Bt5 million. The company will advertise through brochures, its website and pamphlets, explaining that Christmas can exist throughout the year and providing activities to prove it. It will target the general public and corporate customers.

However, to promote its business during this Christmas season, Santa Village will invite Santa Claus to visit from Finland, which is said to be the origin of the Santa Claus legend.

The company will also arrange travel packages to Finland and Hong Kong for members of the Santa Claus Christmas Club who meet certain conditions.

Gomeze said the Thai version of the Santa Claus book would contribute 30 per cent to the total sales of Santa Village; the export business, 25 per cent; the travel business, 15-20 per cent; and the rest will come from other businesses. Santa Village does not expect to make a profit for two years.

Gomeze, who grew up in Hong Kong and moved to Thailand in 1982, worked at the management level in both the advertising and the hotel industries before setting up Santa Village.

Nitida Asawanipont

The Nation