A deputy governor of marketing from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says Indian tourists are important for offsetting the loss of Chinese tourists in Thailand. The TAT now has a goal of attracting 500,000 Indian tourists this year. The marketing governor said ever since an air travel bubble started with India last month, Thailand has seen 600 Indian arrivals per day.
The ATB allows citizens and visa holders to travel between Thailand and India. Foreigners and Thais travelling to India are required to hold a valid Indian visa and Indian nationals and foreigners travelling from India to Thailand must hold a valid Thai visa. According to India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation, the airlines must make sure all the passengers meet the requirement for entry before issuing boarding passes to the passengers.
The TAT signed a letter of intent with Thai Airways and Thai Smile Airways, a wholly owned subsidiary of Thai Airways, to boost this market. The marketing governor said Thailand might see at least 13,000 Indians per month via these two carriers. He said there should be an increase from all airlines to 80,000 starting in May.
He added that 200 Indian wedding groups with around 100 guests per group are planning ceremonies in Thailand starting from this month.
Thai Airways offers direct flights to New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru, while Thai Smile Airways is scheduled to start connections with Kolkata from April 11, with a triangular route, Bangkok-Phuket-Mumbai, set to start tomorrow.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post