The service operates five flights per week (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) which is in line with the business plan to expand more destinations as to facilitate travelers continuously, according to its press release.

Bangkok-Kolkata route is operated both Smile Plus (Premium Economy) and Smile Class (Economy

class). Passengers will get in-flight meal and beverage service, seat selection, free baggage allowance

up to 40 kg.

THAI Smile offers special discount for tickets on the inauguration of the new route, Bangkok- Kolkata (BKK-CCU) with a starting price of Bt3,740/ person/one way (all inclusive) for travelling from March 31

onwards.

In addition, for TPI Summer (schedule starts on 31 March), THAI Smile has updated the flights in India with three routes: Lucknow (LKO), 3 flights/ week, Mumbai (BOM), 7 flights / week and Kolkata (CCU) 5 flights / week.

Tickets are available at http://www.thaismileair.com, Call Center 1181 or 02-118-8888, Smile Service Center and THAI Smile Agents nationwide

The 265-key Centara West Bay Residences and Suites Doha is in the city’s West Bay district, which is home to many of Doha’s skyscrapers. Overlooking the Arabian Gulf, the hotel is near the lively Doha Corniche and 25 minutes’ drive from Qatar’s Hamad International Airport.

The launch marks a milestone for Centara, as the company continues to expand its international footprint.

The opening event traditional Thai and Qatari performances, including a falconry show, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony and VIP dinner by Michelin starred chef Alfred Prasad.

“Doha is one of the most dynamic destinations in the world today, and we are delighted to enter this important market with such a spectacular new hotel. Centara West Bay Residences and Suites Doha is an iconic addition to the city’s skyline. With spacious accommodation, luxurious facilities and gracious Thai service, this hotel will cater to all types of guest, from leisure visitors and large family groups to long-stay business travellers. We look forward to welcoming all guests to Doha in the future, as the city embarks on an exciting new era of international prominence and prosperity,” said Thirayuth Chirathivat, CEO of Centara.

It opens ahead of the annual season-opening Qatar Open tennis tournament, the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The office, which was opened late last year, is operated by the Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT), which is responsible for the promoting tourism to Italy from around the world.

“The new Bangkok office plays a very important role, as the first the Italian hub in Southeast Asia with the task of promoting Italy and its destinations throughout this portion of the tourism market in this part of the world,” Giovanni Bastianelli, Enit executive director, told The Nation in an interview.

As Southeast Asia’s tourism demand for destinations worldwide is growing, it is a fundamental task for Italian regions to have a point of reference in such a growing market, said Bastianelli, who pointed to Italy’s status as a world-renowned top tourist destination.

Apart from Thailand, the Bangkok office is responsible for promoting tourism in the newer source markets of Vietnam and Myanmar, along with Malaysia, as visitors from these countries are increasingly heading to Europe, said Bastianelli.

“Since countries in this region make up an emerging market for the Italian tourism sector, it is still necessary to develop a correct and stronger brand positioning in order to reach the best target for Italian destinations, and namely the more affluent segment, as well as millennials and multi-generational family groups,” he added.

Enit’s marketing strategy is based on global campaigns to promote knowledge of Italy and its locations among travellers while providing information on tourism offerings and products.

Tourism promotion for Italy would be oriented towards “some strategic cross-cutting musts: sustainability, accessibility for all and digital implementation”, he said.

According to Bastianelli, tourism from Asia is increasing faster than that of the total tourism demand, because of the major increase in long-haul tourism markets in Italy with respect to its neighbours, he said.

Italy experienced a boom in tourism from Asian travellers in 2017, especially from Thailand.

The number of Thai arrivals in Italy increased almost 90 per cent over the past three years, from 18,000 in 2014 to 33,700 in 2017, according to Bastianelli.

In 2017, there were more than 254,400 nights spent in Italy by tourists from Thailand, he said.

Compared with 2016, these flows depict a growing trend regarding every variable of tourism. The number of nights spent increased 47.6 per cent, with a 7.4 per cent increase in expenditure that reached 21.7 million euros, Bastianelli said.

Alongside the increase in the number of Thai visitors to Italy, inflows from the rest of Asia also rose in 2017.

China is the biggest source market when it comes to Italian accommodation figures, with over 3 million arrivals for growth of 15 per cent; nights spent in accommodation touched 5 million, increasing 12.4 per cent.

Reaching 996,000, arrivals from South Korea increased by 14 per cent, and the nights spent totalled 1.8 million, up by 14.6 per cent.

The 933,000 tourist arrivals from Japan generated almost 2 per cent more nights than in 2016.

The other Asian countries totalled over 1 million arrivals and 2.4 million nights spent, an increase of 1.1 per cent.

As for this year, Enit expects the number of tourists from Asia to be relatively flat compared with last year, Bastianelli said.

“It means we are still growing from 2016 in international arrivals. Overall, there has been a 5 per cent increase in airport arrivals from foreign airports over the last two years (2018 and 2017),” he said.

Photo Courtesy of Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Nan branch office

A local group this week invited people to take photos of the beautiful scene along a 150-metre path on a private property just off Highway 101’s 98th kilometre marker.

Be quick, though – the flowers only remain in full bloom until the middle of March. Admission costs Bt20.

Photo Courtesy of Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Nan branch office

However, THAI’s round-trip flights on the Bangkok-Lahore and Bangkok-Islamabad routes remain cancelled, the national carrier said in a statement on Monday.

Pakistani airspace is currently open, but with limitations to routes into both Lahore and Islamabad, said THAI president Sumeth Damrongchaitham.

THAI will operate round-trip flights on the Bangkok-Karachi route via a mix of regularly scheduled flights and special flights, as follows:

1. Regular flights operate on March 4, using Airbus A330-300 aircraft, with the capacity to carry 598 passengers per round trip.

– Flight TG341 from Bangkok-Karachi departed from Bangkok at 6.50pm and is expected to arrive in Karachi at midnight (local time).

– Return flight TG342 from Karachi-Bangkok departs from Karachi on March 5 at 1.10am (local time) and is expected to arrive in Bangkok at 9.30am.

2. An additional two special flights will be operated today and tomorrow, using Boeing 777-200 ER aircraft, with the capacity to carry 1,168 passengers per round trip:

On March 4:

– Flight TG3419 from Bangkok-Karachi departs at 8pm and is expected to arrive in Karachi at 1.10am (local time).

– Return flight TG3429 from Karachi-Bangkok departs at 2.20am (local time, Tuesday) and is expected to arrive in Bangkok at 10.40am.

On March 5:

– Flight TG3419 from Bangkok-Karachi departs at 10am and is expected to arrive in Karachi at 2.55pm (local time).

– Return flight TG3429 from Karachi-Bangkok departs at 4.20pm (local time) and is expected to arrive in Bangkok at 12.30am (next day).

This was a nearly 5-per-cent rise from the same month last year.

Mainland China continues to be the main source of foreigners visiting Thailand, with just over a million arrivals in January, a 9.3-per-cent increase year-on-year and an astonishing 20-per-cent hike from December.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports says the Kingdom is “firming up of the new normal”, in which the distinction between what used to be the high and low seasons has mostly vanished as the visitor mix diversifies and Thailand evolves into a year-round tourism destination.

The turnaround, following last July’s boating accident in Phuket in which 47 Chinese vacationers drowned, is significant, making the Thai tourist industry seem like Teflon – invulnerable to serious damage.

After that summer tragedy, negative social media and ill-conceived comments from Thai leaders caused a significant drop in Chinese arrivals, particularly in Phuket, where bookings fell between 20 and 50 per cent in various hotel sectors.

Six Chinese airlines cancelled flights to Phuket for lack of demand.

Among non-Asian arrivals, Russia retains its place as Thailand’s largest source market, with 229,518 arrivals in January, a small rise year-on-year.

German, French, Finnish and Swedish arrivals declined between 3.5 and 14.6 per cent.

Arrivals from Britain and Norway increased by better than 3 per cent in the same month.

Three Eastern European countries – Poland, Kazakhstan and Ukraine – also registered arrivals over 100,000 visitors and increases in numbers compared to 12 months ago.

Arrivals from the United States and Canada also rose.

Australian visitors dropped 1.5 per cent and New Zealand visitors 5.7 per cent. The number of Australian visitors to Thailand has been consistent for almost 20 years, never rising or falling much despite the changes in fortune for the Australian dollar versus the baht.

One of the big improvers, and increasingly important feeder market, is Indian tourism.

January saw a rise of nearly 25 per cent compared to the year before. It is projected that Indian tourism will continue to rise throughout this year.

The ministry forecasts 41.1 million foreign tourists for 2019, with China, other Southeast Asian countries and Europe contributing rises this year.

Thai Airways International (THAI) has been trying to speedily transport the stranded passengers to their destinations, the carrier’s president Sumeth Damrongchaitham said on Friday.

More than 4,000 passengers were stranded at the airport on Wednesday after Pakistan’s closure of the airspace resulted in almost 40 inbound and outbound flights being cancelled. The flights were either heading to or returning from Europe and Pakistan.

THAI should complete the transportation of these passengers through alternative flights within three days, Sumeth said.

Stranded tourists whose Thai Airways flights have been canceled, wait for news at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, 28 February 2019./EPA-EFE

The airline arranged two special flights to accommodate 1,512 passengers on Friday alone.

The first flight, TG9169 on the Bangkok-London route, departed Bangkok at 1.11pm and is expected to arrive in London at 7.40pm (local time). The return flight TG9179 is scheduled to depart London at 9pm (local time) and should arrive in Bangkok at 3.25pm on the following day.

The second flight, TG9749 on the Bangkok-Moscow route, left Bangkok at 4.39pm and is expected to arrive in Moscow at 10.58pm (local time). The return flight is scheduled to depart Moscow at midnight (local time) and will arrive in Bangkok at noon the following day.

Stranded tourists whose Thai Airways flights have been canceled, look at information offered by Thai police officers at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, 28 February 2019./EPA-EFE

THAI’s Ground Customer Services Department has set up a service areas for stranded passengers, where refreshments are available and airline staff at hand to provide help.

The service areas are located in the departure zone on the fourth floor of Suvarnabhumi Airport, at the THAI ticketing office, the Royal Silk lounge for first-class and business class passengers as well as for holders of Royal Orchid Plus, Star Alliance gold and platinum cards. Economy passengers can also visit the service centre between the premium area and rows H and J.

Passengers can also seek further assistance at the following counters:

Counters A15-18 for flight information

Counter A19 for reservation

Counters B7-B9 for check-in and ticketing services for special flights during the day.

THAI said it is monitoring the situation closely and is advising passengers to check the airline’s announcements on its website, thaiairways.com, to keep abreast of related news.

Passengers can also call +66 2356 1111 any time of the day or night for information on flight schedules.

Stranded passengers wait at the check-in area at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok on February 28, 2019. // AFP PHOTO

The national carrier also plans to provide special flights to some select countries in Europe in order to |help passengers get to their destinations.

Around 4,000 passengers were stranded as 16 flights arriving and 20 departing from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport were cancelled after tensions with India led Pakistan to close its airspace.

Of the cancelled flights, 21 were of THAI, to and from Europe, and six to and from Pakistan.

THAI usually flies over Pakistan’s airspace when going to or returning from Europe, but after the closure, the carrier had asked for authorisation to fly over China’s airspace, the airline said yesterday.

Flight Lieutenant Pratana Patanasiri, THAI’s vice president for aviation safety, security and standards, said the national carrier has received permission from authorities to fly over China. However, he said, the permission was granted on a daily basis, so the airline needs to update the situation daily.

Also, he said, flying over China actually cuts the flying time down by 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, a source from THAI said the national carrier has unofficially been given permission to provide special flights to substitute the flights to Frankfurt, London and Moscow that had been forced to return to Suvarnabhumi on Wednesday.

Stranded tourists whose Thai Airways flights have been canceled, wait for news at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, 28 February 2019. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

THAI is also seeking cooperation from its allied airlines to transfer passengers, and has asked for permission to arrange special flights to London, Paris and Frankfurt, from where passengers can easily head to other destinations.

Thousands of passengers were stranded at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Wednesday night, as they had not been given advance notice of the cancellations. Some only learned their flight had been cancelled when they showed up at the check-in counter.

Officials were worried if it could be a PR disaster for THAI with passengers complaining about the lack of communication about the situation.

It will take about three days to clear Suvarnabhumi of stranded passengers, said Thera Buasri, director of the Airport Authority of Thailand’s Ground Service Control.

As for flights to Pakistan, THAI re-routed its TG507 and TG508 flights yesterday by flying directly to and from Muscat and not stopping over in Karachi. The Bangkok-Lahore-Bangkok flights on TG345 and TG346 yesterday were also cancelled.

In a related development, Auramon Supthaweethum, director-general of the Commerce Ministry’s Department of Trade Negotiations, said talks on a Thailand-Pakistan free trade agreement (FTA) will not be affected by the India-Pakistan conflict.

The Kashmir border crisis between the two countries recently resulted in both countries claiming to have shot down each other’s jets and an Indian pilot being captured by Pakistan. India has since demanded the safe return of the pilot, AFP reported.

Thailand has an FTA with India, and a pact with Pakistan has been in the pipeline since 2015.

Stranded passengers wait the Thai Airways ticket counter at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok on February 28, 2019. // AFP PHOTO

“Up to 99 per cent of the FTA chapters have already been negotiated, and we believe the pact will be concluded and enacted by the end of 2020,” Auramon said.

She added that the FTA negotiations with Pakistan had been delayed due to its general elections, which took place in July. She also noted that negotiations between the two countries would resume this year as a video conference.

“The remaining issue that needs to be discussed is the level of market access in goods that both sides will offer,” she explained.

Banjongjitt Angsusingh, director-general at the ministry’s Department of International Trade Promotion, said the impacts of the Kashmir conflict are still unclear, but if there were to be any negative impacts on Thai trade, they would only be for the short term.

In 2018, the total value of trade between Thailand and Pakistan stood at Bt54.045 billion, growing by 2.77 per cent year on year.

Of the total trade value, Thailand exports Bt47.411 billion and imports Bt6.634 billion worth of goods, giving the Kingdom a trade surplus of Bt40.776 billion, the Commerce Ministry said.

The airspace closure caused the cancellation of 16 arrival flights and 20 departure flights at the Bangkok’s airport.

Of those cancelled, 11 flights belong to Thai Airways.

Stranded passengers wait at the check-in area at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok on February 28, 2019. /AFP

However, all flights of THAI to Europe can resume operation today by changing their route via China and the southern part of Russia’s airspace, he said at a press conference.

The airport urged passengers to check flight schedules from airlines before leaving for the airport in order to reduce congestion at the airport. Passengers can call AOT contact centre on 1722 for more information.

Flights from Bangkok to Europe and from Europe to Bangkok normally fly over Pakistan’s airspace but since the closure, THAI had asked for authorisation to fly to the continent over China’s airspace, the airline said on Thursday.

THAI’s flights from Bangkok to Europe to be resumed are:

Day flights on Thursday, February 28, 2019:

-TG974 Bangkok-Moscow [delay from actual schedule]

-TG916 Bangkok-London

-TG922 Bangkok-Frankfurt

TG962 Bangkok-Stockholm

Night flights on Thursday, February 28, and early morning of Friday, March 1, 2019

-TG920 from Bangkok-Frankfurt

– TG910 from Bangkok-London

-TG924 from Bangkok-Munich

-TG930 from Bangkok-Paris

-TG934 from Bangkok-Brussels

– TG940 from Bangkok-Milan

– TG936 from Bangkok-Vienna

– TG960 from Bangkok-Stockholm

– TG970 from Bangkok-Zurich

-TG950 from Bangkok-Copenhagen

-TG954 from Bangkok-Oslo

THAI will reroute its flights from Bangkok-Karachi-Bangkok on TG507 and TG508 on Thursday by flying to and from Muscat and will not stop in Karachi.

Flights from Bangkok-Lahore-Bangkok on TG345 and TG346 on Thursday are also cancelled.

THAI said it was closely monitoring the situation and asked passengers to call THAI at +662 356 1111 24 hours or visit http://www.thaiairways.com for updates on the flight schedule.

THAI passengers who hold tickets on routes affected by flight cancellation may change their itinerary. Fees and charges will be exempted, and conditions apply.