Asian airlines to fly in more tourists

Govt’s New Year quest gets private sector lift

The government’s bid to woo tourists during the New Year got a boost after the private sector pledged to fly in more tourists, especially from China and Asean countries.

Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak told media he has talked with Thai Airways International, Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT), the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), and AirAsia about developing strategies to woo foreign tourists.

He said the discussion made significant progress.

Mr Somkid said AirAsia, a popular low-cost carrier in the Asean area, has decided to increase the number of flights in the region.

The low-cost carrier plans to hold talks with the AoT about the possibility of increasing AirAsia flights at both Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports, according to Mr Somkid.

The airline is also expected to speak with THAI about forming a partnership to promote tourism in second-tier provinces.

Mr Somkid has been working hard to promote tourism after the recent decline in visitors.

During his visit to Shanghai earlier this week, Mr Somkid reportedly asked Alibaba Group Executive Chairman Jack Ma to help promote tourism in Thailand through the Chinese e-commerce firm’s online channel.

The talks with the private sector reflect the Thai government’s growing concern over the tumbling number of Chinese tourists.

The decline has affected Thailand’s service sector and low-income earners. The plunge follows a July boat accident off Phuket which killed 47 Chinese tourists.

In September, 648,000 Chinese tourists visited Thailand, down 14.89% on last year and down 11.77% from August.

In the first nine months of this year, there was an 8.7% increase in foreign visitors, with over 28.54 million people coming to Thailand. Chinese arrivals grew by 13.3% in the same period but dropped by 8.8% in the third quarter.

THAI chairman Ekniti Nitithanprapas said yesterday the national carrier is going to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China Southern Air, China’s largest airline, to bring more Chinese tourists to Thailand.

He said THAI president Sumeth Damrongchaitham has been asked to hold talks with AirAsia and China’s low-cost Spring Airlines regarding cooperation to bolster the tourism industry.

In a related development, Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong announced earlier this week that Thailand is upgrading economic cooperation with China.

Both countries agreed to draft a comprehensive framework on enhancing trade and economic partnership.

The bilateral partnership is expected to boost trade to over US$140 billion (4.59 trillion baht) between the two nations by 2021, up from $73.67 billion in 2017.

The comprehensive cooperation will cover seven key areas: trade, investment, science/technology, digital technology, tourism, finance and regional economic cooperation, said Mr Sontirat.

On Tuesday, the cabinet gave the green light to temporarily waive from Dec 1 to Jan 31, 2019 the 2,000-baht visa-on-arrival fee for visitors from 21 countries, who are staying in the country for no more than 15 days. The decision is expected to assist the country in its efforts to increase the number of foreign tourists.