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The top destinations for Thai tourists during the New Year holiday were Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and Laos.
Passengers at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: AFP/TTXVN
In Bangkok, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the number of Thai tourists is increasing as many popular destinations have reopened without restrictions. Meanwhile, a weaker foreign currency against the baht is also supporting the outbound tourism market.
The top destinations for Thai tourists during the New Year holiday were Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and Laos. The increasing number of flights to those destinations also helped expand the outbound market this month.
Most Thais who can afford to travel abroad are middle- to high-income earners, and they have been unable to travel abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yuthasak said the outbound tourism market in December, especially during the New Year holiday, was the highest in three years. He said this could affect domestic tourism to some extent as people divert their spending to overseas destinations.
According to TAT data, an average of 28,000 Thai tourists took outbound flights each day in October and November. The number rose slightly to 28,800 per day between December 1 and 20, while the peak period is expected to be from December 21 to 31, with 33,400 tourists per day. Citing data from booking.com, an online travel agency, Yuthasak said Thai tourists booked more hotels in Asia this month.
Meanwhile, Thai AirAsia (TAA) CEO Santisuk Klongchaiya said that after adding more flights to Japan, the average airfare on the route to Fukuoka has dropped slightly to 11,000-13,000 baht. He said the average load factor to Japan has increased to 90% this month due to the airline's Airbus A321neo aircraft, which can accommodate more than 230 seats.
Thai AirAsia X, the long-haul unit of TAA, also reported a high load factor of 88% in December as it expanded to Japan’s main airports in Tokyo, Osaka and Sapporo. However, the airline’s limited fleet of just five aircraft means flight numbers have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. Specifically, the number of flights from Bangkok to Seoul, South Korea, is now 10 per week, down from 21 per week before the pandemic. Similarly, the Bangkok to Tokyo service is 9 per week, down from 21 flights before the pandemic.
According to VNA
