Thailand Targets 8 Million Chinese Tourists with Airline Expansion

[webfact]

 

In a bold attempt to rejuvenate its tourism sector, Thailand has set a target to attract 8 million Chinese tourists this year, contingent upon airlines increasing their flight capacities. The Tourism Authority of Prachar (TAT) has announced that achieving this goal hinges on restoring flight seat capacity to no less than 80% of the numbers seen before the pandemic.

 

Already, Thailand has welcomed 3.5 million Chinese visitors by the midpoint of the year, leading the pack ahead of other nationalities among the 17.5 million total foreign tourists. Easily surpassing arrivals from Malaysia and India, which stood at 2.4 million and 1 million respectively, the influx from China has been a significant boost.

 

Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, TAT’s deputy governor for international marketing in Asia and the South Pacific, shared insights on the current status. He reported that for the ongoing summer schedule, which extends through October, airlines have scheduled 34,452 flights connecting 40 Chinese cities to Thailand, offering around 6.44 million seats—this represents about 80% of the capacity compared to pre-COVID-19 levels.

 

However, fulfilling the lofty tourism goals will require more than just maintaining the current numbers. "To reach the 8 million mark, we need more seats on flights from China. This is challenging as both Thai and Chinese carriers are coping with a shortage of aircraft, with some prioritizing domestic routes," explained Chattan.

 

The strategy includes encouraging Chinese airlines to establish routes to lesser-known Thai cities equipped with international airports, such as Chiang Rai, Chon Buri's U-tapao airport, and Surat Thani. This would not only ease the load on Bangkok's and Phuket's airports but potentially spread the economic benefits of tourism wider across the country.

 

The upcoming Chinese Golden Week in October provides a timely opportunity, with TAT projecting a sharp rise in visits. By pushing for more direct flights and negotiating reduced landing fees with the Airports of Thailand (AOT), TAT aims to sustain this trend into the high season and hit their ambitious year-end target.

 

Picture courtesy: Wikipedia

 

-- 2024-07-08

 

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[steven100]

yes ...yes ..yes ... 8 million bla .. bla ... bla ..

 

TAT throwing darts at the dart board in the tea room again .....

[ezzra]

I live in a condo on Pratamnak hill in Pattaya near a Thai temple where droves buses full of

Chinese tourist are visiting everyday to offer homage to some to a statue of Thai figure prince

by offering those loud firecrackers all day long 7 days a week, so 8 millions more of them that will make the whole area as if you're in a war zone,

and there isn't like a place you can lodge a complaint like as it's of a religious nature and bring revenue to the temple... 

Edited July 7 by ezzra

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

In a bold attempt to rejuvenate its tourism sector, Thailand has set a target to attract 8 million Chinese tourists this year, contingent upon airlines increasing their flight capacities. The Tourism Authority of Prachar (TAT) has announced that achieving this goal hinges on restoring flight seat capacity to no less than 80% of the numbers seen before the pandemic.

It's like the greatest showman film song "Never enough"

[john donson]

zero dollar types?

[Deez]

Who exactly thinks this is a good thing?

[Emdog]

"To reach the 8 million mark, we need more seats on flights from China."

Huh. I would have guessed you need more people IN the seats....

Not in article, but how close to full capacity are the planes? They are not going to add seats if they already have a surplus of empty ones. China ain't Thailand

[brianthainess]

26 minutes ago, Deez said:

Who exactly thinks this is a good thing?

TAT and our Glorious PM.