Latest news with #TAT
Bangkok Post
4 days ago
- Business
- Bangkok Post
TAT forecasts record level of arrivals from India
Despite the recent crash of an Air India aircraft, Indian arrivals remain robust against the sluggish short-haul markets trend, as the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) anticipates a record level of 2.4 million arrivals from the market this year. The agency also reported that several airlines are planning to join the 750-million-baht flight stimulus programme that will soon be launched. Patsee Permvongsenee, executive director of the Asean, South Asia and South Pacific region at TAT, said Thailand remains a favourite destination for Indian tourists as it takes only 4-5 hours to reach the country by air, while the visa-free scheme is also convenient for planning their trips. As of July 13, 1.26 million Indian tourists had visited Thailand, becoming the third largest inbound market following Malaysia and China, which recorded 2.45 million and 2.43 million arrivals, respectively. Mrs Patsee said the potential segments include young millennials, wedding groups and business groups travelling via incentive programmes. Under the stimulus scheme initiated by the Thai government, there is a 150-million-baht subsidy for incentive groups, which should help boost the number of Indian tourists nationwide, on top of a similar plan implemented by the TAT's New Delhi and Mumbai offices, she said. Siriges-a-nong Trirattanasongpol, director of TAT's New Delhi office, said although the crash of an Air India flight bound for London last month had hampered Indian travel sentiment, prompting passengers to delay their trips with the airline, many are still maintaining their plan to visit Thailand during this low season. Mrs Siriges-a-nong said the joint-promotion scheme between the TAT and Air India that was supposed to be launched last month has been temporarily suspended, but the agency continues to work with other airlines to promote Thailand. She said the Indian government has offered more slots for foreign carriers to operate flights to Indian cities compared to previous years. The office is also monitoring the readiness of the new Noida International Airport, which should be completed this year, to seek new opportunities for flight expansion. Korakot Chatasingh, chief commercial officer of Thai Airways, said the Indian market could help offset the Chinese market at present. He said a lot of Indians also use Thai Airways to transit to other Southeast Asian destinations, such as Indonesia. The airline currently serves eight cities in India, including 22 flights per week to Delhi and 11 flights per week to Mumbai. It is now conducting a feasibility study for opening flights to Noida International Airport, which could attract Thai and Southeast Asian tourists due to its close proximity to the famous Taj Mahal. According to the TAT, several airlines are willing to apply for the subsidy programme, which aims to add 500,000 inbound tourist arrivals by providing support of 500 baht per passenger.
Bangkok Post
6 days ago
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Tourism body estimates revenue to miss B3tn target
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) estimates that tourism revenue this year will reach 2.87 trillion baht, a shortfall from the 3-trillion-baht target due to the sluggish Chinese market and global uncertainties, but it still anticipates 7% growth to 3 trillion baht in 2026. Meanwhile, the Tourism and Sports Ministry has decided to start collecting the 300-baht tourism tax next year rather than this year, in order to avoid unfavourable travel sentiment. The agency held the TAT Action Plan 2026 meeting on Monday, which gathered 43 domestic and 28 overseas TAT offices to plot the direction for next year. TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said Thai tourism this year could be described as a rollercoaster ride, as it has been facing a high level of volatility. While large markets like China have been hampered by safety concerns, the agency has had to seek other prospective markets, such as the Middle East, and attempt to increase their spending in order to fulfill the market for the remainder of the year. She said some European markets with high levels of spending are also predicted to record 1 million visitors this year, citing the UK, France and Germany. The TAT anticipates it will maintain overall revenue at 2.87 trillion baht for this year. It will boost the number of foreign arrivals to no less than 35.5 million — the same level as 2024 — earning 1.77 trillion baht, while domestic trips should contribute at least 1.1 trillion baht. Ms Thapanee said the stimulus package for chartered flights, including those from China, and co-promotions with commercial flights with airlines globally would help restore the international markets to some extent. She said that in 2026 the TAT will emphasise driving tourism value and spending over volume. It targets at least 7% revenue growth year-on-year or at least 3 trillion baht in 2026, which would reach the same level recorded in 2019. She said the agency would pinpoint the segments with highest potential and put more effort into persuading them to visit Thailand, as well as enhancing the country's image in terms of safety while building Thailand as a trusted destination. Driving sustainable tourism, improving the tourism supply side and promoting soft power are also key areas it will focus on. Jakkaphon Tangsutthitham, vice-minister of tourism, said Thailand needs to adapt to compete in the global situation where geopolitical uncertainty and severe competition in tourism persist in this region. Amid these unfavourable conditions, the tourism fee collection is not suitable for this year. The scheme might be delayed until the second or third quarter of 2026.
Bangkok Post
11-07-2025
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Travel subsidy fails to attract Thais
The tourism and sports minister says the number of local tourists using co-payment privileges was lower than expected for the first 10 days of the scheme despite 1.58 million registrants, as travel sentiment may be unfavourable due to economic conditions. As of July 11, the number of successful registrants totalled 1.58 million, but the number of redemptions tallied 91,008, leaving 408,992 privileges unused. Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong said the ministry predicted the 500,000 privileges would be used up rapidly, but registrants appear hesitant to book. Despite a discount of up to 50%, many Thai travellers who registered for the 1.75-billion-baht scheme that launched on July 1 have not booked rooms, largely attributed to the sluggish local economy hampering travel sentiment, he said. Mr Sorawong said the slow bookings could also be the result of limited accommodation choices as the number of approved hotels, restaurants, attractions, and other tourism services totalled only 5,254, while the number of applicants tallied more than 40,000. He said the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) should have opened the system for operators to register well before the scheme was approved by the cabinet last month. Operators were allowed to enrol in this scheme starting on June 25, while the verification process is lengthy, which the ministry says is needed to ensure transparency. Registration of new participants was closed to fix system glitches from July 4-9, but Mr Sorawong said it is not necessary to extend the scheme from the October deadline. "The scheme was already extended once from September. The current time frame gives tourists plenty of time to book their trips," he said. "Previously we didn't expect to expand the scheme to October, as this is considered the start of the high season. Despite this extension, bookings were still slower than we anticipated." Mr Sorawong said the ministry does not oppose increasing the number of privileges from 500,000, but the TAT will have to monitor booking trends this month in more detail. If budget remains after all privileges in the first phase are fully redeemed, he said it is possible the TAT could increase the number of privileges without asking for more stimulus funds from the government, which is focused on mitigating the impact of new US tariff rates.
Bangkok Post
09-07-2025
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Phuket sees 5.85 million visitors in first 5 months
Russians, Chinese and Indians were Phuket's largest groups of tourists in the first five months of this year, generating around 223 billion baht in revenue, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Kamolphan Chalermsakulrat, deputy director of TAT Phuket, said on Wednesday the island province welcomed 5.85 million visitors between January and May, a 3.14% increase year-on-year. Thai tourists accounted for 1.59 million visitors on the island (a 6.73% increase) and there were 4.26 million international tourists (1.86% increase), generating 223 billion baht, up 5.19% from the same period in 2024. The average hotel occupancy stood at 82%. In May alone, Phuket welcomed 900,000 visitors -- 247,000 Thais and 668,000 foreigners. That month's international arrivals dropped by 8.8%, generating 34.77 billion baht, and marking a decline of 2.93% from May 2024. In June, the median hotel occupancy was 62.63%, with visitors staying an average of 3.24 nights. The total number of visitors in June reached 1.71 million, comprising 582,555 Thais and 1.13 million foreigners, resulting in over 35 billion baht in revenue. The top 10 foreign markets for the island that month were India, Russia, China, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the United States and South Korea. The UK and Australia markets showed strong growth during those months, said Ms Kamolphan. A strong influx of travellers also arrived from Germany, France, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and the United States. Phuket International Airport reported 7,062 flights in June, serving 1.06 million passengers -- 317,346 international and 216,083 domestic passengers. There were over 48,000 flights in the first five months of 2025, marking 95% of the cumulative flight volume compared to the 100% volume seen in the same period of 2019. Phuket has lined up a number of events to further bolster its appeal. These include the SIP & SURF x Beach Break Kamala from July 25-27, featuring surf competitions, live music and workshops at Kamala Beach in Kathu district; and Coral College, an eco-tourism programme promoting marine conservation on July 24 at Ao Chalong Pier. Also, from Aug 14-17, Asia Link Sketch Walk Phuket event will gather 777 artists from 26 countries to sketch iconic Phuket locations. All artworks will be displayed at the Thailand Biennale later this year. Phuket is also preparing for a long weekend holiday from July 10-13 with an estimated 199,460 visitors, generating 2.89 billion baht.
Bangkok Post
08-07-2025
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Short-haul bookings remain weak
Airlines report forward bookings for short-haul markets for the remainder of this year are weak, in contrast to the long-haul segment, while some carriers expressed interest in joining the Tourism Authority of Thailand's (TAT) stimulus campaign. Pattaraanong Na Chiangmai, deputy governor of international marketing for Asia and South Pacific at TAT, said tourism in the second half is still marred by several challenges. Forward bookings for flights across all short-haul markets between June and December have been reduced year-on-year, according to Forwardkeys, an air traffic data company. Asia and South Pacific were down by 22% year-on-year to 849,034 seats, while Southeast Asia, South Asia and Oceania decreased by 16% to 303,325 seats. The East Asia market contracted by 25% to 528,480 seats, including a 40% nosedive on Chinese routes to 109,676 seats. During the first six months, Thailand welcomed 16.6 million foreign tourists, of which 11.1 million were short-haul visitors, far below the target of 28.2 million in 2025. However, long-haul markets gained strong momentum, with 5.5 million arrivals in the first half, said Chiravadee Khunsub, deputy governor for Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas at TAT. She said Thailand is on track to secure 10.7 million long-haul tourists as expected this year. Mrs Chiravadee said forward bookings from these markets in the third quarter tallied 713,491 seats, increasing from 677,211 seats in the corresponding period last year. Passengers from Europe, the Americas and Africa are expected to increase year-on-year. However, passengers from the Middle East are set to contract by 9% to 97,246 seats, due to geopolitical conflicts. Ms Pattaraanong said the TAT will soon launch a 750-million-baht subsidy for airlines and tour operators called "Summer Blast China & Overseas Market" aiming to attract over 790,000 visitors in one year. Nuntaporn Komonsittivate, head of commercial at Thai Lion Air, said the airline is interested in participating in the joint-promotion programme for commercial flights. She said there is room to increase foreign passengers in its existing flights to boost tourism, whether from Indonesia, India or China, with Thailand experiencing a sharp decline since the beginning of the year. At present, Thai Lion Air's Chinese flights secured about 60-70% load factor. Anlee Do, general manager of Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and the Mekong Region at Lufthansa Group, said the airline may need to study the TAT's proposal first before deciding to join. At present, the group is committed to daily operations across its three airlines -- Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines -- to Thailand this summer.
