The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects strong air traffic during the summer to help reach its long-haul market targets by the end of this year.
Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, TAT deputy governor for Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas, stated that 98,625 flights have been scheduled between April and December 2023. These figures demonstrate rising tourism demand despite the fact that the season is not the busiest of the year, while the average airfare is also higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic.
TAT has set a target for each of its eleven offices around the world to attract one million visitors to Thailand. In order to help its office reach its objectives, the deputy governor said TAT plans to assist airlines increase their average load factor to 80% by expanding cooperation with domestic airlines to increase connectivity with international carriers.
One of its plans is to establish code-share partnerships which will allow passengers to purchase a one-time ticket without needing to buy separate domestic tickets upon arrival. Many international airlines have expressed an interest in this cooperation.
The deputy governor also expressed optimism for Thailand’s tourism recovery, stating that some markets already have the potential to reach the same level as it was before the pandemic. One such market is tourists from Russia, which as of April 5 had already seen 591,002 visitors. It was reported that 1.48 million Russian tourists visited Thailand in 2019. (NNT)
