BANGKOK, 8 April 2015 – The lifting of martial law is expected to result in more foreign tourists visiting Thailand during the Songkran festival, whereas Japan and South Korea’s banning of Thai chartered flights should not affect foreign tourist arrivals into the kingdom, said Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) acting governor Chuthaporn Roengronasa.
According to Ms. Chuthaporn, the TAT expects no less than 300 chartered flights to enter Thailand between April 11-19. This influx of visitors would push the number of foreign tourist arrivals during the Songkran period to roughly 500,000. About 14.5 billion baht of revenue is expected to be generated as a result. The projected number of foreign tourist arrivals during this Songkran exceeds last year’s figure by 30%. According to the TAT acting governor, the expected rise of foreign tourist numbers may be attributed to the lifting of martial law and a more stable political climate.
Commenting on Japan and South Korea’s banning of Thai chartered flights, the TAT chief said the ban’s effect will be more apparent on outbound flights from Thailand to the two countries whereas tourists from Japan and South Korea will still be able to enter Thailand via routine flights, and chartered flights originating from the two countries.
