Domestic travel will earn Thailand up to 11 billion baht this long weekend: TAT
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2022
The four-day weekend of October 13-16 should generate 10.86 billion baht in revenue from nearly 3 million domestic tourists/visits, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said.
In a bid to promote domestic tourism, the government added an extra day to the October 13 King Rama IX Memorial Day.
TAT said on Saturday that this long weekend may see slightly fewer travellers compared to the five-day weekend during the Buddhist Lent holidays in July.
The reason for fewer people travelling is widespread flooding and the fact that countries like Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong have recently lifted their travel restrictions and quarantine requirements. This has encouraged some Thais to go overseas instead of travelling domestically.
Also coming up is a second long weekend – October 22-24 with Monday, October 24 announced as a compensation day off for King Chulalongkorn Memorial Day which falls on Sunday.
TAT believes Thais will take more local trips this weekend thanks to the government’s travel stimulus schemes like the “Let’s Go Halves” and “We Travel Together”.
The cool weather is also expected to be a factor encouraging people to travel.
This long weekend, October 13-16, saw 313,860 arrivals in Bangkok, 214,720 in Chonburi, 187,980 in Kanchanaburi, 122,760 in Nakhon Ratchasima, 119,290 Khon Kaen, 118,930 in Rayong, 104,540 in Phuket, 94,950 Ayutthaya, 93,180 in Chiang Mai and 89,130 in Phang Nga.
Charming Chiang Khan in Northeast big hit among urbanites this long weekend
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2022
Thousands of people flocked to the picturesque Chiang Khan district in the Northeast province of Loei to soak in the cool air and enjoy their long weekend.
Approximately 10,000 mostly Thai tourists have been arriving daily since the long weekend began on Thursday. For many, it was the first trip upcountry since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country in 2020.
The laid-back border town along the Mekong River has retained its “old world” charm with its riverside Chai Khong Road lined with Indochinese-style teakwood hotels. The promenade is closed to traffic and turns into a night market in the evening.
Other attractions in Chiang Khan are the Phu Thok hill overlooking a “sea of fog” above the Mekong, a new glass skywalk at Phu Phra Yai hill and several Lao-style temples.
People visiting Phu Thok hill on Saturday morning felt the chill when the temperature dropped to 18 degrees Celsius and the hill was covered in a sea of fog.
Chiang Khan was one of two Thai towns included in Green Destinations’ “2020 Sustainable Top 100 Destinations” list. Green Destinations is a Netherlands-based non-profit foundation that focuses on the development and recognition of sustainable destinations.
The other Thai town on the list was Nan’s Old City in the easternmost part of North Thailand.
October’s 2 long weekends will give profitable start to Thailand’s high season, says TAT
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2022
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) believes the two long weekends in October will generate about 13 billion baht in revenue from over 3.1 million tourists/visits.
Thapanee Kiatphaiboon, TAT deputy governor for the domestic market, said on Friday that this month will see more tourism activities during the October 13-16 and 22-24 long weekends. Plus, she said, October marks the end of the rainy season and the arrival of the cool season.
“It’s also the start of Thailand’s high season,” Thapanee said.
TAT has organised several tourism promotional activities, especially in the North and Northeast, she said, adding that some 3.16 million people are expected to travel this month and up to 12.9 billion baht should change hands.
Thapanee added that flooding in many provinces will not have a direct impact on tourism, though some roads to tourist destinations and old city areas may be affected.
“With temperatures cooling, more people have started travelling to the North and Northeast,” she added.
TAT reported a hotel occupancy rate of between 41 and 57 per cent in different regions of the country this month. This can be broken down to 41.2 per cent for the South, 48.2 per cent for the East, 46.2 per cent for the North, 48.4 per cent for the Central region, and 56.9 per cent for the Northeast.
TAT expecting nearly a million visitors from India this year to help recovery of tourism sector
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2022
Thailand is expecting a surge in travellers from India to boost the Thai tourism industry, as they are the second biggest market this year behind Malaysia, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) reported.
The TAT reported recently that 561,656 Indian tourists entered Thailand in the first nine months of 2022, while the number of Malay tourists recently reached 1 million on October 3.
Thanet Phetsuwan, TAT deputy governor of marketing for Asia and South Pacific, said that the authority expected the number of Indian tourists to reach 800,000 to 900,000 at the end of this year as forward booking numbers for the fourth quarter exceeded 60 per cent.
Meanwhile, 66,877 seats of flights from South India were reserved each week for the winters of 2022 and 2023, up 42.2 per cent from the summer of this year.
Several airlines are interested to open more routes and flights. Thai VietJet, for instance, is asking for slots to fly from minor cities in India to Thailand.
According to an Indian media outlet, “Business of Travel Trade [BOTT]”, a survey showed more than 60 per cent of Indian tourists wanting to visit Thailand. “The BOTT Travel Sentiment Tracker” survey of 8,500 Indian millennials was conducted from August 1 to September 15.
Nearly 82 per cent of them planned to travel with their family this year while 56 per cent chose to travel outside the country. Among nearby destinations in the high season, 62 per cent of them were interested in travelling to Thailand, while 55 per cent were interested in Singapore.
They were also interested in United Arab Emirates (52 per cent), Maldives (43 per cent), and Vietnam (36 per cent).
Among far-away destinations, 47 per cent were interested in the United States, followed by France (46 per cent), the United Kingdom (45 per cent), Germany (44 per cent), and Switzerland (43 per cent).
Of the top five destinations, 36 per cent of them wanted to visit popular tourist and shopping destinations, 31 per cent chose beaches, followed by luxury hotels and resorts (29 per cent), adventure destinations and mountains (25 per cent), and historical destinations (22 per cent).
Thanet said, “The average staying period for Indian millennials is between five to seven days and they choose to stay in more luxury hotels and resorts.”
Meanwhile, Thai AirAsia sees growth potential in the Indian and South Asia markets and has launched two flights from Don Mueang Airport to Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka with four flights per week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
It will also fly to the northern Indian city of Lucknow with three flights per week — on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.
Both flights will be available from November 24, as the airline aimed to attract North Indian tourists.
The airline’s chief executive officer, Santisuk Klongchaiya, said that tourism is active again after Covid-19 has eased, while the Indian and South Asian markets were growing quickly.
He said that the airline has started seven routes from Don Mueang Airport to six Indian cities — Kolkata, Kochi, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Chennai, Gaya — and to the Maldives. Every route was well received as Indian travellers were ready to spend in Thailand.
Nuntaporn Komonsittivate, head of commercial of Thai Lion Air, said that the airline has one flight from India, which was the Don Mueang-Mumbai flight.
The route flew daily with almost 100 per cent of passengers being Indian tourists. She expected the load factor in the fourth quarter to be 65 per cent, which is close to the average load factor of around 60 to 65 per cent.
3 spots in Trat, Mae Hong Son, Chai Nat named Thailand’s top ‘sustainable’ tourism sites
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2022
Three tourism spots in Thailand were included in this year’s “Top 100 Destination Sustainable Stories” list compiled by Green Destinations, a non-profit organisation that supports sustainable tourism.
The destinations featured were Trat’s Koh Mak in the Governance, Reset and Recovery category; Mae Hong Son’s Huay Pu Keng in Thriving Communities; and Chai Nat’s Sappaya Tourism Community Enterprise in the Culture and Tradition category.
Government spokesman Anucha Buraphachaisri on Friday put the success of these sites down to the government’s Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA).
He said under the scheme, Koh Mak became the first low-carbon destination in Thailand through cooperation between the community and public and private tourism organisations. This cooperation led to digital technology and research to boost efficiency in absorbing and storing carbon.
In Huay Pu Keng and the Sappaya Tourism Community Enterprise, DASTA focused on community-based tourism by boosting local people’s skills to create souvenirs, while supporting the environment to give visitors a great experience and improving the quality of life for community members.
Anucha said DASTA had nominated these three destinations in line with the Green Destination standards and forwarded the names to the judges.
He added that both public and private organisations worked hard to push for sustainable tourism. This award will help promote these sites among eco-tourists as well as prove that Thailand is focusing on conservation and creating a balance with nature.
Thailand woos big spenders from Europe, Americas to meet 1.5-tr baht revenue target
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2022
THE NATION
European and American tourists are expected to bring at least 300 billion baht to the country this year, or 30-35 per cent of tourism revenue recorded in 2019 before the pandemic.
Siripakorn Chaewsamoot, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)’s deputy governor for marketing – Europe, Africa, the Americas and Middle East, said on Thursday that he expects more tourists from Europe and the Americas to arrive in Thailand during the winter months.
“We expect to see more tourists from these markets in the last two months of this year, who will help match our goal of up to 1.5 trillion baht in tourism revenue in 2022. TAT is confident this is achievable,” he said.
Siripakorn added that though the Covid-19 situation is improving worldwide, Europe and the Americas are not without problems.
“The biggest challenge for long-distance markets is that they rely on long-haul or connecting flights, some of which have not returned to pre-Covid levels,” he said.
Besides, he said, airlines are also raising the prices of long-haul flights due to the rising cost of fuel and to make up for the losses made during the Covid-19 shutdown.
“Plus next month, the 2022 World Cup finals kick off in Qatar, motivating Middle East airlines to direct more of their flights from Europe and the Americas to Qatar. It is likely they will not add more connecting flights to other countries, including Thailand,” he said.
However, he said, TAT is coordinating with airlines to encourage them to provide more flights to Thailand. If necessary, he said, the authorities will offer chartered flights to markets that have a high demand for Thailand, but not enough scheduled flights.
“We will also promote the Long-Term Resident [LTR] visa, which offers a multiple-entry 10-year stay in Thailand to wealthy foreigners, retirees and those who wish to work here. They can fly in and out of the country without having to get re-entry permits for the entire time,” Siripakorn said. “This visa, effective since September, should attract big spenders from Europe and the Americas to stay in Thailand, especially the digital nomads or those who can work from anywhere in the world.”
Thailand joins global race to lure wealthy foreigners with residency visas
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2022
THE NATION
As Covid-19 recedes around the world, many countries are granting special long-term visas for affluent foreigners in a bid to boost tourism and attract talented professionals to speed up their economic recovery.
Thailand launched the updated Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa on September 1, joining Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates in granting long-stay rights to targeted foreigners – though terms and conditions vary from country to country.
From last month, Thailand halved the fee for its LTR visa, which lasts for 10 years, from 100,000 baht to 50,000 baht to attract four groups of foreigners – wealthy people, retirees, those who want to work in Thailand, and experts. The government expects the LTR visa to bring in at least 1 million people per year, significantly boosting economic recovery after Covid.
Specific conditions have been set for each group. Affluent applicants must have combined assets of at least US$1 million and an income of at least $80,000 per year. They must also invest at least $500,000 in Thailand, in property or other assets.
Meanwhile, retirees and experts must earn at least $80,000 per year, while the latter must have at least five years’ experience working at a specialist level in a targeted industry.
Those who want to work in Thailand must earn at least US$80,000 per year and also have a minimum five years’ experience working in legally registered companies with total revenue of $150 million in the past three years.
The visa also covers up to four family members, including dependents under 20 years of age.
Elsewhere, Japan has launched the High End Talent Visa to attract skilled labours in agriculture, construction and other fields where demand is high for foreign workers. Applicants must pass a language test and other relevant training. The visa has unlimited validity.
Singapore plans to launch the Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass (ONE Pass) in January next year. The pass is valid for five years but can be renewed. Applicants must have at least 700,000 baht fixed income per month and must demonstrate that they have been working for an established company overseas for at least 1 year, or will be working for an established company in Singapore. Individuals with outstanding achievements in the arts and culture, sports, science and technology, and academia and research qualify for the ONE Pass, even if they do not meet the salary criterion.
The UK launched its High Potential Individual Visa in May this year. The visa is valid for two years but can be turned into a long-term work visa if conditions are met. Applicants must have graduated with a degree from an eligible institute outside the UK in the past five years and scored B1 or higher in the English language test. A criminal record check is also required.
The UAE, meanwhile, launched the five-year UAE Green Visa last month to attract highly skilled workers, digital nomads and investors. Eligible candidates must earn at least 150,000 baht per month and hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent. Business owners can also apply provided that their revenue exceeds 3.5 million baht in the past two years.
Unique Bangkok community offers visitors cultural and culinary treat for 10 days
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2022
Unseen cultural, art and architectural attractions, as well as food and beverages, are awaiting visitors during “Song Wat Week” at Song Wat community in Bangkok’s Samphanthawong district from October 21 to 30.
Apart from the cultural heritage and unique architecture, the Song Wat community is also a home to a new generation of business operators who are ready to present undiscovered aspects to visitors.
“We intend to promote our community to become an area that inspires visitors,” the activity organisers, who called themselves “Made in Song Wat”, said.
The organisers said visitors can witness spectacular artworks and architecture along Song Wat Road, while they can taste special foods and beverages during the two-week activity.
“Meanwhile hotels are ready to give a warm welcome to all visitors,” the organisers said.
The organisers said “Song Wat Week Pass” at 1,196 baht per package also offers 10 coupons of discounts on foods and beverages, local products and hotel rooms at participating venues in the community.
“Meanwhile, package holders can join the “Song Wat Walking Tour”at the Play art house on October 22 and October 29 from 11am to 3pm,” the organisers said, adding that the tour is limited to 10-15 participants per round.
In addition, people can exchange the package envelope for a cloth bag after using all 10 coupons, the organisers added.
Interested people can reserve Song Wat Week Pass from Friday (October 14) via “Made in Song Wat” Instagram and Line official account, or contact participating venues, namely Play art house, Mesa 312, Chata, FV BKK, Woodbrook and Luk Hostel.
TAT confident of 10 million arrivals this year as tourism sector places hopes on high season
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2022
Thailand is set for a strong recovery in tourist arrivals during the “high season” in the last quarter of the year.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) remains optimistic of achieving its target of 10 million tourists this year while the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) predicted “at least 20 million” foreign visitors woupd enter the country next year.
TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said that his agency was still confident of the country receiving 10 million tourists this year. In the last quarter of the year, the TAT estimated that at least 1.5 million foreigners would enter Thailand per month, representing 50 per cent of the pre-Covid level in 2019, when Thailand welcomed an average of 3 million tourists per month.
“Despite the global economic recession, people across the world are travelling in great numbers after years of frustration due to the Covid-19 crisis,” Yuthasak said.
According to him, flight schedules for the winter of 2022-23 show 573,538 booked passenger seats per week for flights to Thailand, a 74.2 per cent increase from 329,288 seats in the summer 2022.
Of the booked passenger seats, 211,744 per week are passengers from Southeast Asia, representing a 60.9 per cent increase from summer 2022 flights, and 175,588 are from East Asia, a whopping 153.7 per cent growth.
Western Europe sees a 57.8 per cent increase, with 56,354 seats per week, and the Middle East a 30.1 per cent growth with 44,900 seats.
Meanwhile, ATTA president Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn said the association expected at least 20 million tourists to enter Thailand next year, double the TAT’s estimate of 10 million tourists this year.
He added, however, that most of the foreign tourists travel on land from Thailand’s neighbouring countries, particularly Malaysia. About 1 million Malaysian tourists came to Thailand in the first nine months of 2022.
Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, the president of the Thai Hotel Association (THA), pointed to many positive factors that could boost Thai tourism in the last quarter of the year. These include more direct flights to Thailand, the downgrading of Covid-19 to an endemic, and the lifting of the face mask rule.
She said that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit to be held in Bangkok in mid-November also would help boost Thailand’s tourism and economic recovery.
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