Latest news with #Atta
Bangkok Post
01-08-2025
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Chinese arrivals may hit 9m in 2026
Chinese tourist arrivals should rebound to 9 million in 2026, driven by large groups, positive momentum from chartered flights and global business events that reinforce Thailand's image as a safe destination, according to the Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta). Atta president Thanapol Cheewarattanaporn said Chinese arrivals could climb to 9 million next year, approaching the 2019 peak of 10.9 million, mainly driven by three factors. He said chartered flights should start to increase this year thanks to the subsidy programme offering 350,000 baht per flight, as Atta already secured deals with travel agents in Chongqing, Lanzhou and Hangzhou during its roadshow this week. This programme alone should attract 150,000 Chinese tourists, said Mr Thanapol, along with 75,000 travellers from subsidies for the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions segment, which are typically high spenders. Large incentive groups choosing Bangkok as their destination should also help revive confidence, notably the Amway 2026 incentive meeting in March and April 2026, with 13,000 delegates joining, he said. "These large-scale groups from China will play a key role in restoring travel confidence among Chinese tourists and will help attract more independent travellers back to Thailand," said Mr Thanapol, adding this estimate assumes no further negative incidents. On Oct 12-18, 2026, Thailand is scheduled to host the World Bank Governors' Meeting, an international event that could help elevate confidence in Thailand's safety, infrastructure and capacity as a leading tourism and business destination, he said. Adith Chairattananon, honorary secretary-general of Atta, said the momentum from the chartered flights subsidy should continue, increasing traffic to Thailand by five times and generating a total of 1 million tourists of the 9-million goal next year. Zheng Wei, owner of Gansu Junhe Cultural Tourism, a major tour operator in Lanzhou, said there's strong interest in the chartered and incentive subsidies. "We expect the real impact of these measures to show starting from November and December. If no major negative incidents occur, Chinese tourism to Thailand could recover to 70-80% of pre-pandemic levels by late next year," he said. Mr Zheng said the emergence of Vietnam serves as a temporary substitute based on lower costs, but it still lacks the quality and appeal of Thailand. "Safety concerns are easing. If Thailand handles this well, Chinese tourists will definitely return. Vietnam is not a true competitor due to its substandard services. Most Chinese tourists don't repeat their visits," he said. The TAT & Atta Roadshow to China this week is aimed at blunting the sharp plunge of the Chinese market by 34.1% in the first half. However, the TAT has yet to set 9 million as a target and remains cautious in assessing the situation.
Bangkok Post
25-07-2025
- Bangkok Post
Chinese travel agents call for clarity
Chinese travel agents have already quizzed Thai tour operators about the clashes along the Thai-Cambodian border over concerns the situation may impact their clients' travel plans, says the Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta), while Thai AirAsia has observed a surge in Thai passengers on its flights serving Cambodian cities. Following clashes on Thursday, which caused at least 13 Thai civilian fatalities, some countries, including the United Kingdom (UK) and the US, issued a warning to their citizens to avoid border areas in the provinces of Buri Ram, Si Sa Ket, Surin and Ubon Ratchathani provinces. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) issued a statement assuring the safety and security of tourists as the top priority of relevant government authorities. The statement advised travellers to avoid certain areas in seven provinces in the East and Northeast, including the provinces of Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi and Trat. Atta president Thanapol Cheewarattanaporn said the incident would undeniably hamper tourism for the remainder of this year, but the scale of the impact would depend on how long the conflict persists. 'Even though most Chinese agents are still confident that major tourism cities remain robust, the problem is with Chinese tourists' perception following media reports and whether they will delay their trips' said Mr Thanapol. At Atta's roadshow scheduled to visit Chongqing, Lanzhou and Hangzhou next week, the association plans to use the opportunity to clear up any misinformation and reassure the Chinese that Thailand is safe to visit. Another focus is informing tour agents they stand to benefit from joining the Thai government's stimulus programme. Mr Thanapol said the dispute will require the government to work much harder to secure 5 million Chinese tourist arrivals this year, which is the state's minimum target. Sarawadee Thiamprasert, managing director of At Ubon Travel, a tour operator based in Ubon Ratchathani, said a tour group of more than 20 domestic tourists maintained their bookings scheduled for next week, but they did ask the company for clarification of the situation. Mrs Sarawadee said popular attractions were not located near the Cambodian border, but the Mun River and Pha Taem National Park were quite close to the border with Laos. She said the risky areas were mainly located within agricultural zones and neighbourhoods, where the authorities already helped Thais to evacuate to safe areas. In addition, Ubon Ratchathani airport is operating as normal. Last year Ubon Ratchathani received 3.8 million visitors generating 9.1 billion baht in revenue. If the conflict persists, tourism revenue might contract from last year, attributed to weak travel confidence, slow economic growth stemming from the conflict, and sluggish border trade, said Mrs Sarawadee. As of July 24, Cambodian arrivals had plunged by 27% year-on-year to 229,240. Meanwhile, Thai AirAsia reported its routes serving Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, each operating two flights a day, had an average load factor of 80% and 90%, respectively, during the first half of 2025. During July 21-25, the airline secured a high load factor, with the number of Thai passengers surging, prompting it to use Airbus A321neos with 236 seats rather than Airbus A320s to accommodate more passengers.
Bangkok Post
09-07-2025
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Impact of tariff hikes on tourism likely to unfold next year
Tourism operators view the US's tariff policy as indirectly hampering Thai tourism in the form of reduced spending, but this impact is not expected to unfold until next year, as many tourists have already booked trips for the upcoming high season. They have also suggested the Thai government use this opportunity to upgrade the country's tourism infrastructure, develop new attractions to remain competitive with Vietnam, and accelerate the 350-million-baht chartered flight incentive to prevent a freefall in arrivals. Rangsiman Kingkaew, president of the Tourism Council of Phuket, said the economies of major inbound markets to Thailand, such as South Korea and Japan, had been stunned by the US's latest tariff rates, although there's still room for negotiation until the end of this month. Trade tensions between the US and China also persist, which could result in higher living expenses and increased prices of goods for US residents, leading to a reduction in spending and a slowdown in travel, said Mr Rangsiman. He said domestic tourism, a key driver during the low season, is also being hampered by the 36% tariff rate imposed on Thailand, as the policy would hinder the export sector and overall GDP growth. "These developments will undeniably impact the global tourism industry," said Mr Rangsiman. "However, the major tourism slowdown might occur next year, as many tourists, especially long-haul travellers, have already booked their trips to Thailand and Phuket for the high season." He said that during this period of uncertainty, the government should take the opportunity to address weaknesses in the tourism sector. These include addressing the country's image in relation to safety and incomplete infrastructure projects. Mr Rangsiman said Thailand's rivals, such as Vietnam, have been heavily investing in new attractions and infrastructure, but Thailand's tourism development has been inconsistent and continues to rely primarily on its existing charms. Thanapol Cheewarattanaporn, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta), said slow forward bookings, particularly from short-haul and Chinese markets, during the second half of this year could be further affected by the severe US tariffs imposed on multiple countries. The short-haul market is a vital source for Thai tourism, typically accounting for over 70% of inbound visitors. Mr Thanapol said it was very disappointing that the subsidy for the chartered flight programme under the 750-million-baht "Summer Blast China & Overseas Market" had not yet been officially launched. He said many Chinese travel agents had asked Atta about this project as they are reluctant to launch tour packages to Thailand at present. "Other countries have been consistently promoting inbound tourism, notably China, which has extended visa-free entry to more nations and continues to offer promotional travel packages," he said.
Bangkok Post
07-07-2025
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Malaysia now No.1 source of tourists in Thailand
Malaysia has surpassed China as the largest inbound tourism market for Thailand in the first half of this year, as the latter plunged by 34.1%, while tourism operators say they have little hope that Asian markets will rise in the low season. In the first six months, Thailand welcomed 16.6 million foreign arrivals, dipping 4.6% year-on-year, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry. Only four source markets tallied more than 1 million tourists for the period: Malaysia, China, India and Russia. Malaysia posted 2.29 million arrivals and China 2.26 million, registering declines of 5.59% and 34.1% respectively, followed by the Indian market at 1.18 million arrivals, up 13.8%, and Russia at 1.03 million, a gain of 12.3%. Thanet Supornsahasrungsi, president of the Association of Chonburi Tourism Federation, said the outlook in the third quarter would remain unchanged as the Chinese market might not significantly improve. As the Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta) prepares to organise a roadshow to three Chinese cities this month — Chongqing, Lanzhou and Hangzhou — Mr Thanet said it would only stimulate the market for the short term via chartered flights, which are eligible for subsidies from the government's stimulus campaign. In the long run, he said Thailand still faces challenges based on its declining reputation among Chinese travellers, especially the perception that it no longer offers good value for money. 'There are growing complaints about expensive and unpleasant food in the Banthat Thong area and unhygienic street food in Yaowarat," said Mr Thanet. "More price-conscious travellers have shifted to Vietnam, which is more competitive in terms of price.' With European arrivals to Thailand surging by 16.6% to 4.3 million in the first half of the year, tourism operators in Pattaya are more optimistic about the upcoming high season, which is typically the peak period for long-haul markets. He said the Asia-Pacific market would continue to struggle, after declining by 12% to 11.2 million visitors in the first six months, with no positive factors yet to drive a recovery. According to Atta, its three-city roadshow this month is expected to connect 60 Thai tourism operators with 1,000 Chinese tour agents. The association plans to support the Tourism Authority of Thailand with promotion of its chartered flight subsidy scheme, which offers up to 350,000 baht per flight for operators that achieve a load factor of more than 80%.
New Straits Times
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: A boy's magical friendship adventure
THE title of this movie sounds remarkably close to one from Disney about a flying elephant, but its only animals are three adorable goats belonging to the hero's best friend. Welcome to 'Jumbo', Indonesia's most talked-about movie this year, and the region's best-selling animated movie to date. The title character's name isn't Jumbo, but Don (voiced by Prince Poetiray), and Jumbo is a nickname given to him by Atta (Muhammad Adhiyat), his biggest tormentor in school and the neighbourhood. Don is a chubby and awkward 10-year-old boy who loves fairy tales and one day meets a real fairy. This fantasy directed by Ryan Adriandhy in his directorial debut comes to Malaysian cinemas three months after its Indonesian debut on March 31, and features popular singers Bunga Citra Lestari and Ariel Irham of Noah as the protagonist's late parents. Don, who is often belittled by his schoolmates because of his large size and clumsiness, inherits a book from his parents, filled with illustrations and magical stories. Entirely crafted by Don's parents who perished in an accident when he was 4, the book serves as an escape for Don in a world that feels unwelcoming due to the insults by his neighbours and schoolmates. One day, Don decides to prove himself participating in a community talent show — he plans to perform a play inspired by the stories in the book. Atta steals the book, but fortunately, Don has the support of his wise grandmother (who looks after him) and his best friends — goofy Nurman (Yusuf Ozkan) who lives with his goat-breeding grandfather, and Mae (Graciella Abigail) who is level-headed and street-smart. Don soon meets Meri (Quinn Salman) a sweet fairy who asks for his help to find her parents. They strike a deal — Meri decides to help Don improve his presentation and recover his book, while Don has to help Meri find her parents and defeat their captor. Thus begins an adventure full of wonders, transforming Don's view of himself and teaching him the meaning of friendship, courage and self-confidence. In terms of animation, 'Jumbo' is as good as Malaysia's 'Upin & Ipin', 'Boboiboy', 'Mechamato' and 'Ejen Ali', and here's hoping that the republic's animation industry continues to grow stronger. Each character has superb and realistic facial expressions, movements and gestures, and the director based them on real life activities performed by the cast members. And the movie's settings look very much like Jakarta's suburbia, only neater and more colourful. Don may look adorable but honestly, he is rather annoying — he is selfish until he gets to know Atta after meeting his crippled elder brother Acil (Angga Yunanda), a hard-working electronic goods repair man. The real heroes are his best friends, his grandmother (Ratna Riantiarno) and Meri, who teaches him to be brave, caring and sharing. Getting to know Atta awakens him to his own flaws and the mutual reconciliation that follows finally makes him a hero. The villain, Pak Rusli (Kiki Narendra), is two-dimensional as his motive for villainy is childish. His late wife's grave was destroyed by a developer, and that turned him into a malevolent ghostbuster who destroys graves and captures ghosts including Meri's parents. Flaws aside, 'Jumbo' is a timeless and heartwarming story for the whole family, which contains magic for the young and human values for the adults. Viewers will realise that there is a bit of Don and Meri in everyone — he is the everyman who needs to break out of his comfort zone, and she is our higher self that loves, gives and grows. 'Jumbo' is a wholesome animated story that places strong emphasis on family, friendship and being independent, brave and selfless. Malaysians ought not to miss it, and it is best that they bring their families along to the cinemas. NOW SHOWING JUMBO DIRECTED BY Ryan Adriandhy FEATURING THE VOICES OF Prince Poetiray, Quinn Salman, Yusuf Ozkan, Graciella Abigail, Muhammad Adhiyat, Ratna Riantiarno, Angga Yunada, Bunga Citra Lestari, Ariel Irham, Cinta Laura Kiehl, Ariyo Wahab, Kiki Narendra, Aci Resti and Rachel Amanda CLASSIFICATION U
