Thailand testing electric trucks to replace fleet of 400,000 diesel vehicles
MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2022
Thailand’s trucking industry will decide whether to switch its fleet of 400,000 diesel trucks to electric vehicles in April next year after EV tests, according to the Land Transport Association of Thailand.
Association president Apichart Prairungruang said the plan to switch from diesel to electric trucks came after the government released support measures for EVs.
He said that the association would test the EV trucks for safety to address concerns over possible battery explosions. It would also compare the capacity of electric and diesel trucks since the new EVs will be used for long-distance trips of 300-500 kilometres, he said.
The tests will focus on maintenance, after-sales service and whether routes have enough charging stations to keep the EV trucks on the road. It should take no longer than one hour and 30 minutes to fully charge an EV truck, Apichart added.
However, he is concerned about EV trucks’ shorter battery life of around six years compared with 7-10 years for diesel vehicles.
He said batteries also made electric trucks more expensive, at around 5-6 million baht per unit versus only 2.8 million for a diesel truck. He noted, though, that electric trucks cost less to run in the long term.
Apichart said the association would decide whether to switch to EV trucks after tests that are due to finish in April.
The association, which covers firms that operate around 400,000 trucks, is interested in EVs as a way of saving transport costs and protecting the environment, he said.
Revenue Dept exceeds collection target in first 2 months of fiscal 2023
MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2022
The Revenue Department is on course to meet its revenue collection target of 2.2 trillion baht in fiscal 2023, up 3.75% from last year, its director-general Lavaron Sangsnit said.
Revenue in October, the first month of the fiscal year, rose 19.5% year on year to 232 billion baht. November’s revenue also exceeded the target after the full reopening of the country spurred business activity, especially in retail and logistics, Lavaron said.
However, he warned of tougher times to come as a global economic slowdown looms in the next calendar year.
He also expects revenue from fuel tax in fiscal 2023 to fall given crude oil prices are forecast to drop from around US$100 to $90 per barrel.
KResearch forecasts 24 million-plus arrivals in Thailand next year
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2022
Thailand can expect to welcome as many as 24 million foreign tourists next year and earn up to 1.01 trillion baht in revenue, a top research house forecast shows.
Kasikorn Research Centre (KResearch) said on Sunday that the Thai tourism sector can expect a 60% recovery to pre-pandemic times now that people are less afraid of new Covid-19 waves being sparked.
“If there are new waves, we don’t expect them to result in lockdowns,” KResearch said, adding that more people will start travelling.
The centre added that Thailand can also expect to see more tourists from Middle Eastern countries rather than China.
“We don’t expect Chinese tourists to return in hordes yet because the Chinese government is still imposing stringent measures to curb infections,” KResearch said.
The centre added that the tourism industry can be expected to generate between 840 billion and 1.01 trillion baht in revenue next year.
“Each foreign traveller should spend about 42,000 baht next year, compared to about 40,000 baht per person this year,” KResearch said.
However, this is still lower than the 47,895 baht per person in 2019 due to changes in travel demand and the global economic slowdown.
The research house also said that the recovery of Thailand’s tourism industry still needs to tackle challenges like global economic slowdown, geopolitical tensions and the rising cost of living.
Experience “SIAM SMILEY® Celebration Infinite Happiness” all through December 2022 and ring in the New Year with concerts from top artists
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2022
Siam Paragon, a ‘world-class shopping destination’ and a top-of-mind destination for locals and international tourists, is celebrating the season of joy with a special collaboration with global brand SMILEY, universally recognized for its iconic smiling face symbol.
The grand festivity “Siam Smiley® Celebration Infinite Happiness” marks Southeast Asian’s first festive collaboration with the iconic brand SMILEY® . Siam Paragon is presenting a cheer myriad of SMILEY®, bringing the happy vibes plus an exciting line-up of international theatre performances from France and The Netherlands. The celebration kicked off on 9 December 2022 with a mini concert from famous duo artists Putthipong ‘Billkin’ Assaratanakul and Krit ‘PP’ Amnuaydechkorn and theatre performances Le Ballerine from Teatro Pavana from the Netherlands at Parc Paragon, Siam Paragon.
Thanaporn Tantiyanon, Head of Business Unit of Siam Paragon, said “Siam Paragon is dedicated to create extraordinary and exceptional experiences. For this holiday season, our “Siam Smiley Celebration Infinite Happiness” is a collaboration with global brand SMILEY that marks the first festive collaboration in Southeast Asia. Internationally-renowned illustrator Pomme Chan or Tachamapan Chanchamrassang created the chic graphic for the festive celebration. The holiday hypes at Siam Paragon is filled with happy SMILEY faces, dazzling Christmas tree, SMILEY installation art.”
In addition to dazzling festive decorations and lighting, Siam Paragon is bringing together over 50 international performers for exciting theatre performances, every Friday-Saturday and Sunday at 17.00 and 18.00 hrs. (40 minutes per show) all through December.
The lineup of performances on every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday throughout December 2022 are:
Le Ballerine from Teatro Pavana theatre of the Netherlands: The graceful stilt walking ballerinas from the Netherlands will amaze the audience with pirouettes and clouds of colorful tulle created from over 250 meters of fabric, dancing synchronously with melodious music, between December 9-11, 2022.
SPHERES, street theatre from France: A breathtaking performance of SPHERES, a street theatre from France which performers dance in twinkling air-light spheres as if floating in the air, between December 16-18, 2022.
Night Colors from Teatro Pavana theatre of the Netherlands. A dazzling stilt walking performance with illuminated sparkling silver costume decorated with over 170-meter-long light wire, from 23-25 December 2022.
Additionally, Siam Paragon will present a parade of entertainment including concerts by leading artists such as Bodyslam, Joey Boy, Milli, Three Man Down, Tilly Birds, and Proud band that will ring in the New Year on 31 December 2022, from 5.30pm onwards at Parc Paragon on M Floor of Siam Paragon. Admission is free and the event is organized under a high level of safety measures. On New Year’s Eve, Siam Paragon also extends its operation times, from 9.30am to midnight.
Siam Paragon also offers special promotions from 2 December 2022 to 15 January 2023.For VIZ members using ONESIAM SuperApp, for THB1,000 spent at participating restaurants get 100 VIZ COINS (limited to 50 offers a day), and for THB15,000 spent on shopping at participating stores get 500 VIZ COINS (limited to 80 offers a day.) ONESIAM-Kasikorn credit card holders will get 700-baht cashback. At Paragon Department Store, MCard members will receive E-Coupon valued 500 baht for THB7,000 spent (limited to 700 offers/throughout the campaign period). The members also have a chance to win special prizes valued at over 3 million baht in total such as TOYOTA FORTUNER 2.8 LEGENDER, 4 WD 60th ANNIVERSARY (1 prize), and round-trip tickets by VIETJET from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) to Japan/Taiwan/Vietnam for 25 prizes (2 seats per prize). Especially for all VISA card holders, when spending 2,000 baht at the department store, they will get X2 benefits from the campaign The Great Happy New Year 2023.
In addition, Siam Paragon continuously offers special Boxing Day privilege to customers from 24 – 26 December 2022, and from 30 December 2022 to 1 January 2023. For THB20,000 baht spent at participating stores get 1,000 VIZ COINS and a THB1,000 dining voucher from Co-limited restaurant (limited to 200 offers a day). ONESIAM-Kasikorn credit card holders get 5,000 K Points and a maximum of 16% cashback credits from participating credit cards.
Discover the amazing festive experience throughout the month of December 2022 at Siam Paragon. For more information, call 02-610-8000 or log on to Facebook: Siam Paragon.
Thai oil traders can now dip into national reserves to meet rising demand for diesel
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2022
Thailand’s oil traders are being allowed to use 70% of the country’s oil reserves until the end of next month to tackle diesel shortages.
Nanthika Thangsupanich, director-general of the Energy Business Department, said on Sunday that the consumption of diesel will be high until the end of February due to the high tourism season and harvest season.
She said the consumption is higher than expected because the economy is picking up, which she said is leading to this crunch.
Hence, Nanthika said, the department will exempt oil traders from having to reserve oil from now until the end of February, and they will be allowed to take out 70% of the reserves until January 31.
She added that this measure will boost the supply by 219 million litres, which should be enough to meet consumer demands.
However, she said, it will take a few days for the oil reserves to reach the provinces.
The traders can start rebuilding their reserves from March 1, she added.
The Energy Business Act requires refineries to reserve more than 6% of crude oil in their quota and oil traders to reserve 1% of their quota.
Most hotels in Thailand getting closer to full recovery, survey shows
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2022
As many as 47% of hotels in Thailand have managed to revive their earnings to more than half of the pre-Covid levels, the Bank of Thailand’s confidence index for November showed.
“The number has risen from 32% of hotels in October,” said Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of the Thai Hotel Association (THA).
“This signals that Thailand’s hotel industry is on the path to recovery thanks to the influx of foreign tourists during the high season, which runs from November to March.”
The central bank and THA surveyed 113 hotels nationwide from November 11 to 27.
The survey also revealed that the occupation rate in November rose to 59% from October’s 49% due to high-season arrivals and the Apec Summit in Bangkok.
Hotel operators believe more than 50% of the rooms will be occupied as more tourists can be expected during the cool season.
Meanwhile, the employment rate among hotels has remained unchanged at 73.3% of pre-Covid levels, though 81% of the respondents have said they will hire more workers in the next three months. However, most hotels do not intend to expand their workforce by more than 10%.
As for operational costs, 75% of the respondents said they expected operational costs in the last quarter to rise from the previous quarter. The main factors behind the increase are the rising cost of raw materials; surge in electricity, water and fuel costs; and higher wages to attract skilled workers.
To mitigate the impact, hotel operators are calling on the government to expand the limit of soft loans and bring down the interest rate from 3% per year.
They also hope the government will consider extending the “Rao Tiew Duay Kan” (We Travel Together) subsidy scheme. The Cabinet is scheduled to consider the next phase of the scheme on December 20.
Qatar Airways to add more flights to Bangkok, manager for Indochina says
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2022
Nongluck Ajanapanya
Qatar Airways will continue to add more direct flights from Bangkok to Doha, as well as other prime destinations worldwide, as the aviation industry gradually recovers from the pandemic, according to Bennet Stephens, the carrier’s newly appointed regional manager for Indochina.
Qatar Airways will add one more direct flight between Doha and Bangkok on Thursday, raising the number of direct flights per day to four, Stephens said. (Before the pandemic, Qatar Airways operated seven daily flights on the route.)
Stephens said Qatar Airways would continue recovering next year and then enter a growth phase.
“We see our airline recovering 50% this year and expect to recover 70% next year,” Stephens said.
Demand for international travel is rising significantly with reservations increasing, particularly for the Christmas and New Year holiday season.
Stephens said Qatar Airways is optimistic about the industry’s future, agreeing with a forecast by the International Air Transport Association that the global airline industry could return to profitability in 2023.
The association forecasts that airlines will make a small net profit of $4.7 billion in 2023 – the first profit since 2019, when the industry earned $26.4 billion.
Although the airline industry as a whole is doing well, Stephens said issues of concern remain. First, fuel prices have risen from $60 to around $120 per barrel of oil. This can affect some carriers, but is within the range Qatar Airways can handle, Stephens said.
Travel restrictions are the second issue, Stephens said, adding that some countries may suddenly tighten border controls due to covid-19.
Stephens said he was confident that Qatar Airways’ span – 150 destinations – young fleet and premium services would keep it among the world’s top carriers.
AirAsia back to growth phase with the launch of a new low-cost airline in Cambodia
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2022
AirAsia Aviation Group Limited (AAAGL), the aviation arm of Capital A Berhad, today signed a Joint Venture (JV) agreement with Sivilai Asia to establish AirAsia Cambodia, a new low-cost airline in the Kingdom of Wonder.
The new airline will further cement AirAsia’s brand in Cambodia and Indochina, providing AirAsia with greater access to its domestic market and most importantly connecting it to the international markets across Asean, North Asia and beyond.
This new airline will allow AAAGL to operate in the various existing markets where it already has presence and operations to build scale, network connectivity and further reduce the cost of operations. AirAsia Cambodia aims to further stimulate the Cambodian aviation and tourism industries, launch exciting new destinations, create jobs and bring a truly low-cost operation to the country.
The JV was signed by Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A and Vissoth Nam, Director of Sivilai Asia at Rosewood Phnom Penh on Friday
Subject to obtaining the relevant regulatory approvals, the JV is expected to commence operations in late 2023.
Tony Fernandes said: “Capital A continues to focus on Asean where we know best and our brand is the strongest. Cambodia is the fifth Asean country where we are continuing our march of being the region’s number one mover of people and cargo, and providing a linchpin of economic growth for Asean countries. The value of AirAsia’s network is an insurmountable asset; it will be another flag of extensive connectivity in Cambodia and into the region, namely China, India and North Asia.”
Vissoth Nam said: “As one of the first countries to open up international travel with no quarantine in November 2021, Cambodia has led the way in Asean’s air travel recovery journey post-Covid, with the rest of countries in the region following suit. Today, we are proud to be the catalyst for a new low-cost airline operating from Cambodia.
Bo Lingam, Group CEO of AAAGL said setting up a majority-controlled JV in Cambodia is a natural step for the Group as AAAGL is the largest foreign airline and the second largest airline group overall operating in Cambodia in terms of capacity. Pre-pandemic, AirAsia operated 90 weekly flights from Malaysia and Thailand and is currently flying about 49 weekly flights to Cambodia.
AAAGL operates five routes to Cambodia from Kuala Lumpur to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, from Penang to Phnom Penh (starting 23 January 2023) as well as from Bangkok (Don Mueang) to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.
Since entering the Cambodian market in 2005, AirAsia has carried over 10 million guests to and from Cambodia.
Thai businesses target three major markets to boost exports next year
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2022
Thai exporters are working closely with the Commerce Ministry to explore three markets with high potential — the Middle East, South Asia, and Thailand’s neighbouring countries — next year, according to the commerce minister.
The three major markets have seen an estimated 1.7 trillion baht in exports this year, which are expected to increase by another 300 billion baht next year to 2 trillion, said Jurin Laksanawisit, who also doubles as deputy prime minister. He said on Friday that a “war room” would also be set up for a joint committee comprising his ministry and exporters. The panel agreed at its meeting on Friday to set up the war room that would be staffed by Commerce Ministry officials, relevant state agencies, and private businesses involved with exports, according to Jurin.
“We will work together closely throughout 2023 to deal with the global economic slowdown and problems from 2021 and 2022,” the minister said. The focus in the Middle Eastern market will be on Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, which are importers of food, car parts, air-conditioners and construction materials, Jurin said. He said the goal for next year was to increase exports to those three countries by 20% — from US$8.9 billion (310 billion baht) this year to $10.3 billion next year. Regarding the South Asian market, the focus would be on India, Bangladesh and Nepal, which mainly import chemical products, plastic pellets, automobiles and car parts. The goal is to increase export value by 10% — from $12 billion this year to $13.2 billion next year. As for the CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) market, the goal is to boost export value by 10-15% — from $28 billion this year to $33.5 billion next year. These countries mainly import construction materials, electrical appliances, plastic pellets, textiles, food products, fruits and vegetables. The joint public-private committee also resolved on Friday to send Thai delegations to the UAE, India and China’s Yunnan province in a bid to boost trade ties, according to the commerce minister. The panel also urged the government to expedite Thailand’s negotiations for “mini” free trade agreements with certain cities in the United Kingdom, Pakistan and Persian Gulf states, he said.
Incentives jolt Thai EV market with 25,000 sales expected this year
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2022
The Excise Department expects some 25,000 electric vehicles (EVs) to be snapped up this year under the government’s subsidy scheme.
It also said that 81 million baht of the subsidy funds have been disbursed so far this year.
Under the scheme, EV automakers are entitled to subsidies and cuts on import duties of up to 150,000 baht per vehicle priced below 2 million baht, and up to 800,000 baht on EVs going for more than 2 million baht.
Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Excise Department director-general, said on Friday that the department will disburse the second lot of 194.5 million baht of subsidy before year-end.
“This campaign will bring down the price of electric vehicles and boost the adoption rate in Thailand, which in turn will reduce emissions and bring the country closer to becoming a carbon-neutral society,” he said.
The Excise Department also signed an agreement with Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing (Thailand) on Friday under the EV subsidy scheme. The pact requires Mercedes to produce as many EVs in Thailand as they import until 2025.
Companies that have already signed such agreements include the Thai assembly units of Chinese automakers like MG and GWM as well as Japanese giants like Toyota and Thai EV maker Mine Mobility.
Assembly units of electric motorcycles like Thai Honda and Deco Green have also signed similar pacts.
Ekniti added that the Excise Department is in talks with US EV maker Tesla into joining the programme.
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