South Thailand’s hotel industry booming with increased tourist arrivals

South Thailand is seeing a resurgence in tourism, with room bookings in hotels reaching 85%, according to Sueksit Suwandissakun, the president of the Southern Hotel Association. This is a positive sign for the industry, which has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic over the past year.

Many hotels in popular tourist areas are already fully booked, with the majority of reservations being made at three-star hotels and below. The booking rate for this month is at 80%, and even more, reservations are expected to be made for next month, with the rate expected to reach 60%, The Phuket Express reported.

The limiting factor for tourism currently is the number of flights that are back in service, with only 50% of flights being operational compared to 2019 when there were 450 flights in operation. Despite this, passenger numbers have improved by 70% on the flights that are running.

The top ten countries in terms of the number of arrivals in Phuket over the past year were Russia, India, Australia, Britain, Singapore, Germany, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, America, and Israel. The increase in tourism is not solely driven by foreign tourists, however, as domestic travel has also been on the rise in recent months.

Recently, there were reports of police in Bangkok extorting money from a Taiwanese actress and rumours about officers allegedly extorting money from a Saudi Arabian tourist. However, Sueksit noted that this has not affected tourism, as the normal booking rate for this month is already good.

February is a special month, with Valentine’s Day being celebrated worldwide, but this is not likely to increase travel as there are no long holidays for foreign tourists. The southern region of Thailand has always been a popular destination for tourists, with its beautiful beaches and vibrant culture attracting visitors from around the world.

Overall, the southern region of Thailand is experiencing an improvement in the tourism industry, which is a positive sign for the future. With continued progress, the industry is expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels, bringing much-needed revenue to the region.

Source - The Thaiger

Thailand tourism predicted at 80% of pre-Covid in 2023

Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn just predicted that next year, revenue from tourism will hit 80% of the level it was before the Covid-19 pandemic. He made the bold prediction at the 22nd World Travel and Tourism Council Global Summit, being held in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.

At that summit, the TAT was invited to take part and present its path to successfully bringing back tourism as it nears the goal of 10 million international visitors by the end of this year. The governor served as a speaker on the panel “The Recovery of Travel in Asia and the Pacific.”

The National News Bureau of Thailand reports that Yuthasak highlighted Thailand’s more eco-friendly, sustainable, and inclusive tourism coming out of the pandemic. After borders were closed and then slowly reopened with various quarantines, lockdowns, and restrictions, Thailand has now fully reopened without restriction and seeing a boom in international travellers.

The TAT plans to continuously collaborate with the tourism industry and other sectors and concentrate on innovations to make tourism stronger and healthier going forwards. The Bio-Circular-Green Economy Model which has been a sustainability focus for the government is implemented in tourism campaigns as well. The TAT governor also touted the “Visit Thailand Year 2022-2023: Amazing New Chapters” marketing programme that promotes the country’s popular tourist attractions as well as introduces new ones.

With a goal of an 80% recovery of the tourism industry for 2023, which would be about 32 million visitors, Thailand surpassed the nine million visitor mark this year already. Some 9.4 million people entered the country from the beginning of the year to the end of November.

Now, between all airports and land borders, 50,000 to 60,000 people enter the kingdom per day. Malaysia continues to be the number one source of international tourists, with 1.5 million travellers crossing the Thai border this year. But, with the recent resumption of many flights from Russia, the number of European visitors and other long-distance travellers is increasing. The TAT governor attributed this in part to Thailand being a great warm-weather escape from the cold winters in Europe.

Source - The Thaiger

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Thailand Nov 1 reopening to go ahead providing COVID-19 situation remains stable

The proposed reopening of Bangkok and other major tourist destinations in Thailand will go ahead on November 1, providing the COVID-19 situation does not worsen.

Speaking on Saturday (Oct 10) government spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the reopening of Bangkok, Chiang Mai (Mueang district, Mae Rim, Mae Taeng and Doi Tao), Prachuap Khiri Khan (Hua Hin and Nong Khae), Phetchaburi (Cha Am) and Chonburi (Pattaya, Bang Lamung and Sattahip) will go ahead as long as there is not a sudden spike in cases or no large clusters are discovered between now and the end of October.

Following the reopening, the government expects to earn 1.5 trillion baht from tourism in 2022, Mr Thanakorn said.

Domestic tourists will account for 850 million baht with Thais expected to make 160 million trips next year.

Meanwhile, the government expects 15 million foreign tourists to visit Thailand in 2022, generating 650 billion baht in revenue.

Mr Thanakorn said the 1.5 trillion baht revenue target is approximately half the amount the country's tourism industry earned in 2019 before the start of the pandemic.

Mr Thanakorn also gave an update on the Phuket Sandbox, which has been hailed a success.

As of Thursday (Oct 7) 43,026 foreign tourists had visited Phuket via the Sandbox program.

Most tourists came from the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom, Germany and France.

Source - ASIAN NOW

Our VISA AGENT

Yogyakarta sets cap on number of tourists allowed in Pindul Cave

The Gunungkidul Tourism Agency has set a limit to the number of daily visitors allowed in Goa Pindul (Pindul Cave), a natural cave and tourist attraction located in Gunungkidul regency, Yogyakarta, as the government aims to preserve the site's ecosystem. 

"The maximum number of visitors to Pindul Cave is limited to 2,600 people per day," Hary Sukmono, the agency's secretary, said on Monday as quoted by kompas.com.

The limit was set based on Environmental Management Efforts and Environmental Monitoring Efforts (UKL-UPL), a guidance document that also includes information on village-owned enterprises, such as tour operators.

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Hary urged tour operators to refer to the document, adding that he hoped the new system would help to preserve Pindul Cave's ecosystem. 

"The limitation of visitors is an effort to preserve the environment of Pindul Cave," Hary said. 

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Separately, Saryanto, the director of the Bejiharjo village-owned enterprise, which oversees the cave region, said the organization would obey the rules. He further said that, in any case, the number of visitors to Pindul Cave was far below the limit. 

According to data obtained by the agency, 145,081 people visited the cave in 2017.

Saryanto said village-owned enterprises would continue to coordinate with tour operators, adding that should the number of visitors exceed the cap limit, the visitors would be directed to other attractions. 

"We will accommodate everyone for the good of all," he said.

Source - TheJakartaPost