#Thailand may hold a July Songkran event if Covid-19 situation remains stable

Thai citizens are being dangled a carrot – the chance to celebrate Songkran in July. Usually the annual water festival, traditionally the end of the dry season and the start of the wet season, is held on April 13. The event has become a big tourist magnet over the past decade as it’s morphed from traditional Buddhist festival into organised water fights in the streets of Bangkok and tourist towns.

This year it was cancelled as the country was busy being not busy; locked down in their homes instead of outside splashing water everywhere. But the government says they may still hold a Songkran festival in July instead IF the third phase of the easing of lockdown restrictions goes smoothly this month.

'Phase 3’ started rolling out yesterday and opens up just about everything excepting bars and pubs, and some other entertainment venues. 16 business types and leisure activities resumed yesterday. The curfew has also been reduced to 11pm to 3am daily.

Phuket seems to be trailing behind the rest of the country with a ban on its beaches and airport still in place.

CCSA spokesman Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin says the Government might declare special public holidays in July to celebrate Songkran. The festival, apart from all the water splashing, is the biggest family get-together of the year when people head back ‘up country’ for large family celebrations. The festival is also the most dangerous time on Thailand’s roads each year.

Dr. Taweesin says the CCSA will assess the results of phase three relaxations this month, adding that…”if the Covid-19 situation improves satisfactorily and people strictly observe the basic guidelines of social distancing, regular hand washing and face mask wearing, it might ask the Government to declare special public holidays in July”.

We’re not sure what “improves satisfactorily” means given that there have no recorded local transmutations of Covid-19 for over a week. All the latest cases are from Thais repatriating on specially organised charter flights from overseas whereby all arrivals must spend 14 days in supervised quarantine.

There is still a state of emergency in effect until at least the end of the June which provides Thai PM Prayut and his appointed committee in the CCSA sweeping powers to address the Covid-19 situation in Thailand without consulting parliament.

Source - The Thaiger

#Cambodia’s lifting of entry ban will have minimal impact on tourism or economy

Cambodia lifted a ban on entry of visitors from Iran, Italy, Germany, Spain, France and the United States that had been put in place to curb the spread of coronavirus, the health ministry a week ago and the immediate result of this is the detection of two COVID-19 positive patients.

The cross signals sent by the Ministry of Health is doing Cambodia no favours as on one hand, Cambodia announced very early on that it would provide free medical treatment for COVID-19 positive victims despite their nationalities.

Thus, the imposition of a $50,000 insurance policy, mandatory upon entry into Cambodia further complicates normalization of inbound passengers into Cambodia.

Despite the easing, foreign visitors would still need to have a certificate no more than 72 hours old confirming that they are not infected with the novel coronavirus and proof of $50,000 worth of health insurance while in Cambodia, the ministry said.

They also would be quarantined for 14 days after arrival at government designate place and tested for the coronavirus, a ministry statement said, but did not specify where.

Airline executives, welcoming the abolishment of minimum tax until July said the tax relief was welcome but too little, too short a period of time and too late as they have been hit severely since the outbreak started peaking in March and when most countries imposed lock downs and flight restrictions.

“The direct result of the extraneous conditions imposed by Cambodia in her attempt to curb the spread of imported cases of the virus is tourism dropping to almost zero and all Asean carriers suspending flights, partly because of the pandemic and partly because of their own severity with the pandemic.

“Cambodia should move to revive air travel and impose less restrictive measures and instead adopt measures to boost air travel. Local businesses, especially hospitality and services sectors are hit severely and since other countries in the region are opening up their economic activities, Cambodia should follow suit and not get left behind,” the executives, fearing reprisal said, declining to be identified.

Asean, they said, should come to a collective decision to open up the skies and air travel and adequate measures should be in place prior to this happening.

“If Asean cannot get its act together, how are they going to tackle the economic crisis looming? Thailand imposes $100,000 insurance requirements, extends emergency but relaxes conditions while Cambodia is sending mixed signals.

“Flights are necessary to stimulate growth one way or another and measures must be adopted to facilitate this, not inhibit as relaxing flight restrictions from the six countries is futile since they still have huge number of cases while Asean with lesser cases have got no ban but no flights as well,” they said.

UNWTO has forecasted a decline in international tourism receipts of between $910 to $1,170 billion in 2020, compared to the $1.5 trillion generated in 2019, with 96% of worldwide destinations having travel restrictions.

IATA has estimated that Cambodia faces a possible direct and indirect job loss of more than 700,000 while in Asia-Pacific as a whole 11.2 million jobs are at risk, including those that are dependent on the aviation industry, such as travel and tourism.

“Providing support for airlines has a broader economic implication. Jobs across many sectors will be impacted if airlines do not survive the COVID-19 crisis. Every airline job supports another 24 in the travel and tourism value chain,” says Conrad Clifford, IATA’s Regional Vice President, Asia-Pacific.

Source - Khmer Times

Phuket airport to remain closed following CAAT U-Turn

UPDATE:

In a surprise reversal, The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has announced the postponement of the reopening of Phuket International Airport, indefinitely. Just yesterday they announced that the provincial airport was to re-open from tomorrow morning.

Although Phuket has gone 13 days with no new Covid 19 infections, it was still considered a risk area that needs to be monitored to stop the spread of the disease to other provinces.

“At the recommendation of the CCSA, the airport is to remain closed until further notice.”

“Although Phuket is able to effectively control and stop the spread of the Covid-19, the situation is still considered a risk that must be monitored to ensure that measures stop the spread of the disease to other areas and prevent the disease from spreading again in the Phuket area.”

Phuket International Airport was closed on April 3, with a ban on all flights except government and military aircraft, and emergency landings.Scheduled international flights into and out of Thailand remained banned until at least May 31.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority has signed an order which will allow the Phuket International Airport to re-open from the morning of Saturday, May 16, less than two days away. Two days ago officials from the local provincial hall participated in an inspection of all the changes and preparations made to cater for passenger travel in the Covid era.

The Phuket International Airport is one of the last major airports to re-open to passenger traffic and commercial flights. The CAAT ordered the airport closed on April 3 to restrict air travel as health authorities nationwide battled to contain the spread of the virus at the time.

The order says that people arriving in Phuket from other provinces will be required to fill in an a form describing their travel history, particularly recently and information about where they are staying whilst on the island. At this stage the opening of the airport is only to limited domestic flights.

“All people leaving the island must register their health condition on the AOT Airports app.”

A ban remains in force for international flights at least until May 31 and a possibility that it could be extended another 15 days.

For land departures there has been a requirement for Phuket people, arriving in some provinces, to adhere to a 14 day quarantine. This order from the CAAT does not mention that requirement. We will post more information when it becomes available.

Currently land departures are required to have a fit-to-travel document saying that they have been in self-quarantine for 14 days before their date of travel. That has not been specified for air travel at this stage.

3 airlines have already notified the PIA of their plans to resume limited domestic passenger services in and out of Phuket, at one flight a day, according to the governor. Other domestic airports have been opened up around the country for limited services.

Provincial authorities also agreed yesterday to ask the Interior Ministry to allow reopening of all sea and road links from Saturday. No approval has been given at this stage.

Aircraft are also requiring specific seating to avoid people sitting next to each other and an insistence that passengers must wear masks. There is also no food and beverage services allowed on domestic services at this stage and travellers are urged to arrive at the airport 3 hours before their flight for additional check in procedures.

Source - The Thaiger

Not just Chinese travelers staying away as virus shakes Asian tourism

As a driver of one of Thailand's renowned "tuk tuk" motorized rickshaws, Amonchai Laodoungdee is used to busy days ferrying tourists around Bangkok, but on Tuesday he waited for four hours at a shopping mall without a single customer.

Since word of the new coronavirus spread from China last month, he's seen his daily income drop from about 1300 baht ($41) per day to around 400 baht. At first, he noticed not as many Chinese tourists were around. Now, there are few tourists from any country.

"Not too many foreigners come to visit Thailand now," Amonchai said. "Now is very difficult."

Such laments are becoming more common across Asia's tourism industry, from street food hawkers to luxury tour operators, as more countries advise citizens to be cautious as the coronavirus toll surpassed 1,000 deaths, most of them inside China.

Many Asian tourism professionals say the drop in tourism has spread from Chinese tourists to visitors from other Asian and Western countries now also staying away, raising fears that much of the 2020 travel season may be severely diminished.

"It's not just China. Travelers from other countries are also postponing or canceling visits not just to Singapore, but we are seeing evidence across Asia,” Keith Tan, chief executive of the Singapore Tourism Board, told reporters.

Some tourism officials says the market is resilient and may well bounce back once the virus is contained.

Still, as the number of total confirmed cases surpassed 40,000 this week, many worried that the slump would continue for months.

"We forecast an overall decline of up to 50 percent in the number of bookings for the first half of the year, compared with same period last year," Alicia Seah, director of communications at travel agency Dynasty Travel, based in Singapore.

Sharp decline

Tourism-heavy economies like Thailand, which derives around 12 percent of its GDP from foreign visitors, are especially affected by travel restrictions and warnings.

"Today the impact has not been just on Chinese tourists but on all tourists," Chairat Triratanajaraspon, president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, told Reuters.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has predicted a revenue loss of 95 billion baht ($3.05 billion) from fewer Chinese tourists from January to April, but that number could rise higher as travelers from other countries are now staying away.

The decline has been swift and sharp. From Feb. 1 to Feb. 10, arrivals booked by the Association of Thai Travel Agents dropped by were down 71 percent from last year overall and 99 percent from China, according to the associations.

Chairat said 50-60 percent  of the usual 3 million expected tourists for February are expected to now stay away, adding "This situation is likely to continue into March."

In Indonesia, the tourist island of Bali alone has seen 20,000 cancellations, said Hariyadi Sukamdani, head of Indonesia’s hotels and restaurants association.

He did not know how many were from Chinese tourists or from other countries, but he said there is concern of a sustained slump because from now until April is usually when bookings for summer holidays usually are made.

"In the toilet"

In Vietnam, cancellations are coming in for well into the year.

The official state-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA) said last week that many inbound tours to Vietnam scheduled for March and April had been canceled.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism estimated the damage to Vietnam’s tourism sector from the virus will range from $5.9 billion to $7.7 billion, VN Express reported on Friday.

A tourism source in Hanoi, who did not wish to be identified given the sensitivity of the situation, said hotels were suffering from a 20 percent drop in budget in terms of occupancy.

"It's really pretty bad. We are re-forecasting now. But February and March are of course in the toilet.”

Thai tour operator Virat Chatturaputpitak, managing director of Marwin Tours (Asia) Co. Ltd., said he has seen a reduction of tourists from Canada, the United States, and also the United Kingdom.

"For me, the Easter outlook in April is also not good," Virat said.

"We simply don't know how long it will take to contain this virus and every day the news of more infection mean more people are reluctant to travel," he added.

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Cambodia - Construction of new Phnom Penh airport on schedule

Construction of a new airport that will serve Phnom Penh is on track and could be completed as early as 2023, the developer said.

Pung Kheav Se, chairman of the Overseas Cambodia Investment Corporation (OCIC), the company behind the project, said they are now building the foundations of the airport, conducting an environmental impact assessment, and negotiating with people affected by construction.

Mr Kheav Se was speaking to reporters yesterday at the Cambodia International Construction Industry Expo in Phnom Penh’s Diamond Island

Mr Kheav Se, a renowned investor and chairman of the Board of Directors of Canadia Bank, said, “We are now laying the foundations and building the runway. If there are no issues with the land, I believe that the airport will be ready by 2023.”

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OCIC has invested in numerous big projects in Cambodia, including Diamond Island Development City, Olympia City, and, most notably, Chroy Changvar Satellite City.

Sin Chansereyvutha, spokesman of the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, said the airport is not likely to be finished so soon.

“We need time to clear the land and lay the foundations and solve any land dispute. As per our schedule, the new airport will be ready by 2024, but it may be delayed until 2025,” he said.

Chrek Soknim, president of the Cambodian Valuers and Estate Agents Association, said the project is a significant achievement for the nation that will boost the economy.

“Once the new airport is finished, the real estate and construction sectors in Cambodia will attract more investors. The land around the airport has attracted a lot of investment already after it was chosen as the site of the new airport,” Mr Soknim said.

Source - Khmer Times

#Cambodia plans Da Nang flight to boost tourism with #Vietnam

Prime Minister Hun Sen last week said a soon-to-begin direct flight between Phnom Penh and Da Nang, in central Vietnam, will boost the number of Vietnamese visitors to the Kingdom.

Speaking during a business forum during a two-day visit to Vietnam, Mr Hun Sen said the new fight, which will be operated by Cambodia’s national flag carrier, will play an important role in attracting more tourists from Vietnam.

“Vietnam continues to be the second-largest tourist market for Cambodia, and we expect to see more and more Vietnamese tourists choosing Cambodia as their holiday destination,” he said.

He said the Kingdom welcomed about 470,000 Vietnamese tourists during the first seven months of the year, an increase of 4.6 percent over the corresponding period last year.

Cambodia Angkor Air, the national flag carrier, recently announced that its Phnom Penh-Da Nang route will launch on Oct 27. Phnom Penh will become the second city, after Siem Reap, that the airline connects with Da Nang.

Mr Hun Sen said the new flight is a welcomed addition to the existing 112 flights that connect Cambodia and Vietnam every week.

Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, noted the number of Vietnamese tourists is on the rise.

“The flight will not only bring in more Vietnamese tourists. Foreign tourists that visit Da Nang now also have the opportunity to board a plane and travel directly to Phnom Penh,” she said.

Tourism Minister Thong Khon recently urged airlines in Vietnam to increase the number and frequency of flights to Cambodia, particularly to Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and the coastal areas. He said that at least 15 percent of Vietnamese tourists prefer air travel.

The minister noted that Cambodia aims to attract about one million Vietnamese tourists a year by 2020. Currently, about 900,000 Vietnamese tourists visit Cambodia every year.

Cambodia and Vietnam have also agreed to cooperate on marine tourism once the new seaport in Kampot province is completed, which is expected to happen in 2021.

Mr Khon said marine tourism cooperation is an effective mechanism to boost cooperation among Asean countries.

According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Tourism, from January to July, Cambodia welcomed 1,154,786 visitors from Asean countries, a 5 percent hike compared to the same period last year.

Source - Khmer Times

Thomas Cook demise will affect British tourism to Thailand for the rest of 2019

“British tourists have contribute between 900,000 – 1,000,000 tourists to Thailand annually for the past seven years.”

The failure of the British Thomas Cook travel business will cut the numbers of arrivals from Britain to Thailand for the remainder of this year.

Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand says they are also assessing a drop in northern-European tourists where tourists use the services of Thomas Cook subsidiaries. The TAT will issue their new projections when the full impact of the failure of the 178 year old British travel business is assessed.

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 According to the Bangkok Post, talks will include agencies such as Asian Trails, the main destination management company for Thomas Cook, and hoteliers at popular beach locations such as Phuket, Phangnga and Koh Samui, namely Dusit Thani, Anantara and Mandara.

 In 2018, 987,456 tourists from Britain visited Thailand and 600,000+ from northern-European countries. British tourists have contribute between 900,000 – 1,000,000 tourists to Thailand annually for the past seven years. The figures for the first six months of 2019 had already exceeded 500,000 visitors (584,626) and would have pushed past the million-mark for the year, but that figure is now being re-assessed.

There is currently a repatriation of existing British tourists overseas, some 150,000, back to UK shores following the collapse of the business. Confusion reigns as some hotels are charging Thomas Cook customers before they’re allowed to check-out, fearful they won’t be paid.

A prominent hotelier in Phuket, who asked not to be named, says there is still a lot of confusion about who is responsible for payments of existing customers and contractors as they work through the web of agents, insurance companies, tour companies and hotel contracts.

 Kanokkittika Kritwuttikorn, director of TAT’s Phuket office, says the failure of the British travel company won’t affect the island’s upcoming Christmas and New Year holiday season.
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“Even with Phuket the preferred destination for British tourists, the closure of Thomas Cook will not affect overall tourism in the province, especially over the upcoming high season, she told the Bangkok Post.

President of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, Vichit Prakobgosol, says the closure of Thomas Cook will “slightly affect Thai tourism”, according to the Bangkok Post.

“The fall of the firm, caused by the failure of a Brexit deal and a depreciating currency, is a wake-up call for tour operators about the impact of digital disruption as intense price wars from online travel agencies take a bite.”

Source - The Thaiger

 

#Laos Saw More Chinese, Less Korean Tourists in Past Six Months

The number of tourists visiting Laos has increased 5 percent in the past six months thanks to a rise in the number of Chinese visitors.

More than 2.2 million people visited Laos between January and June, according to Laos’s Tourism Development Department, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.

The number of Chinese visitors jumped by 13 percent while that of Vietnamese visitors increased by 11 percent. The number of visitors from Thailand also rose by 1 percent.

Vientiane Times quoted an unnamed government official as saying that he believed visitor numbers were up because of the ongoing Visit Laos-China Year campaign.

However, the number of South Korean visitors plummeted by 20 percent while that of Japanese visitors sank by 13 percent.

The official told Vientiane Times that the decline in arrivals from some countries was due to circumstances beyond the authorities’ control.

“Some people stayed away because they were unsure of the quality of services here. And although Laos has many enticing tourism products there are several inconveniences, such as poor road access to tourist sites,” the official added.

Laos attracted more than 4.1 million foreign tourists last year, an 8.2 percent increase from the previous year. Tourism generated revenue of more than USD 755 million in 2018.

Meanwhile, it is expected that at least 4.5 million people will visit Laos this year, generating revenue of more than USD 700 million.

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More Chinese tourist expected

Officials believe that, out of 4.5 million expected tourists, 1 million would come from China.

To achieve such a goal, Laos is currently intensifying its efforts to improve services and create more facilities for visitors.

Vang Vieng, one of the most famous tourist destinations in Laos, for instance, has improved the quality of services and made changes to the price of food, accommodation, and the fees charged at tourist attractions.

In Luang Prabang, meanwhile, restaurants have added Chinese dishes to their menus and installed signs written in Chinese at popular tourist sites.

As for Luang Namtha Province, the authorities are encouraging officials to supply useful information to Chinese visitors.

There have also been some other positive developments that might boost the number of Chinese visitors to Laos.

Banque pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao Public (BCEL) has recently teamed up with Chinese payment service provider UnionPay International (UPI) to roll out new QR code payment services in Laos.

The move will enable UnionPay app users to make payments by scanning QR codes at local stores in the country.

UnionPay currently operates one of the most popular mobile payment apps in China, and this means BCEL’s collaboration with UPI would help Laos’s local businesses to reach out to more Chinese visitors, who make up one of the largest sources of tourists.

Separately, Thailand is currently preparing to launch the country’s first bullet train that will run between Bangkok and Beijing, China, with Laos as one of the intermediate stations.

In particular, the first route, a Thai-Sino project linking Bangkok, Nong Khai, Laos and a Chinese city Mohan in the far Northeast, is currently under construction and is scheduled to be completed by 2023.

Where are the Koreans?

Laos has been one of the most popular destinations for South Korean tourists thanks to the reality TV show, “Youth Over Flowers,” which aired in 2014.

The number of visitors from South Korea to Laos grew in 2015 and 2016, finally beginning to plateau in 2017. The overall market share of South Korea rose to 4.4 percent in 2017, however, according to a report by Laos’s Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism. The number jumped from 96,085 in 2014 to 170,571 in 2017.

However, local tourism experts have repeatedly suggested that such a number is decreasing, but there had been no official number released by the Lao government until now.

Confirmation from the tourism ministry that the number of South Korean visitors plummeted by 20 percent in the first six months is therefore highly significant.

One Vientiane-based tourism expert cited a lack of promotional efforts as one of the reasons to contribute to the drop in such number.

“The TV show that led to the surge came out five years ago. Out of sight, out of mind. No one made any more major Korean TV shows or films, to my knowledge,” the expert told The Laotian Times.

As he pointed out, several South Korean broadcasters released similar shows to repeat the success of “Youth Over Flowers,” but none of them was able to attract similar viewer numbers.

The expert also noted that not enough has been done to promote and encourage people to return to Laos.

According to the latest survey conducted by the tourism ministry, only 7.9 percent of respondents said it was their returning visit to Laos. In contrast, first-time visitors accounted for 75.2 percent.

Time for a Diversification?

The Lao government invited 12 representatives from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, China, Japan and South Korea to Bolikhamxay and Khammouane provinces, in a bid to promote other parts of the country.

The familiarization trip to the two provinces took place between July 12 and 17 and was designed to publicize some of Laos’ tourist attractions and encourage the tour operators to include some of these locations in their package tours.

It marked the Lao government’s latest effort to promote lesser-known tourist sites to foreigners, and this work is expected to continue in the coming years.

Source - The Laotian Times

#Vietnam emerges top Asia-Pacific travel choice for Russians

Russian traveling to the Asia-Pacific region heavily favor Vietnam and neighbor Thailand, says global travel analysis firm ForwardKeys.

From May 2018 to April 2019, Russian arrivals to the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region rose 54.5 percent, far outstripping the 3.8 percent growth of international arrivals to the region, according to ForwardKeys data.

The huge spike in Russian travelers has been prompted by a doubling of direct flights from Russia to Asian tourist destinations, mainly in Vietnam and Thailand, with air seat capacity increasing by 38 percent overall.

The ForwardKeys survey shows Vietnam saw the highest increase in Russian market seat capacity at 153 percent, followed by Thailand and the Maldives, which saw a growth of 125 percent and 58 percent respectively. South Korea and India also saw seat capacity rising by more than 30 percent.

Vietnam has emerged as a favorite destination for Russian holiday-goers in recent years and is expected to surpass its neighbor Thailand, a favored Russian haunt for a long time.

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Booking your Flight, Hotel or Resort now

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Market observers say the launch of direct air connections from multiple secondary and tertiary cities in Russia to Vietnam's popular beach towns have propped up the Russian tourism boom.

Russia's S7 Airlines last year launched a direct flight connecting Irkutsk City with Cam Ranh, an hour south of its much busier sister Nha Trang in the central province of Khanh Hoa, while Vladivostok Air had begun operating daily flights from major cities of Vladivostok and Khabarovsk to Vietnam's Cam Ranh Bay even earlier.

Khanh Hoa, home to the famous beach town of Nha Trang, has been much loved by Russian tourists, accounting for one fifth of total foreign arrivals. Last year, Russian tourist arrivals to Khanh Hoa reached nearly 400,000, up 1.5 percent year-on-year, making it the second biggest feeder market for local tourism after China.

"Vietnam is certainly going through a tremendous growth in demand from the Russian market," global media company Skift quoted Stephan Roemer, CEO of Diethelm Travel Group, as saying.

Russia is the sixth largest source market for Vietnam’s tourism, with mainland China topping the list, followed by South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the U.S.

Vietnam received a record high of 606,000 Russians last year, accounting for 4 percent of total foreign tourist arrivals.

Apart from visa exemptions for tourists from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Vietnam offers 15-day visa exemptions for visitors from the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Belarus.

Russian tourists spend an average of $1,600 per stay in Vietnam while the average for foreign visitors overall is $900, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

The country welcomed 7.3 million arrivals during January-May, up 8.8 percent from a year ago, putting the it on track to meet its annual target of receiving 18 million foreigners this year, according to the General Statistics Office.

With the changes to the visa policies, the tourism industry hopes to get 17-20 million foreign visitors by 2020 and revenues of $35 billion a year, contributing 10 percent to the country’s GDP compared to 7.5 percent last year.

Last year a record 15.4 million visitors came to the country, a whopping 20 percent increase from 2017.

Many travel agencies have said that Vietnam should further relax its visa policies and simplify procedures to attract high spending tourists from Japan, North America, Northern Europe, China and South Korea.

They have called for the current 15-day visa exemption extended to 30 days.

Source - VN EXPRESS

#Vietnam continues to attract record numbers of foreign visitors

More than 7 million foreigners visited Vietnam in January-May, attesting to the country’s rising popularity as a tourism destination.

Vietnam welcomed 7.3 million arrivals during January-May, up 8.8 percent from a year ago, putting the country on track to meet its annual target of receiving 18 million foreigners this year, according to the General Statistics Office.

Most foreign visitors arrived by air, accounting for over 80 percent of the total.

Tourism officials have attributed the increase in numbers to international tourists spending their summer breaks during Vietnam's festival season, marked by many cultural events organized across the country.

Most of the foreign tourists were from Asia, with the numbers rising 10 percent year-on-year to 5.6 million, accounting for 76.8 percent of the total.

Despite a slight decrease of 0.8 percent, China remained the biggest source of visitors with nearly 2.1 million, followed by South Korea, the second biggest market, which recorded a 22.4 percent increase to nearly 1.7 million.

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 Neighboring Thailand topped the growth of foreign tourist arrivals in the first five months of this year at a whopping 47.5 percent year-on-year, reaching 215,000.

The recent launch of direct flights connecting Vietnam’s top tourist destinations like Da Nang, Nha Trang and Da Lat with Thailand’s tourism hubs has pushed this growth, market observers said.

The number of tourists from European market grew by six percent from a year ago.

While Vietnam is the midst of a tourism boom with a record high of 15.5 million foreign arrivals in 2018, a year-on-year rise of 20 percent, the numbers have remained lower than that of neighboring countries in the region.

Thailand (38 million), Malaysia (25 million) and Singapore (18.5 million) remain far ahead of Vietnam,

At a National Assembly session last year Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue said the country needs to stop relying on crude oil and focus on tourism to sustain its economic growth.

"It's better to get one million tourists than try to find one million tons of crude oil because tourism is more eco-friendly and safe for the economy," Hue said.

Many travel agencies have said that Vietnam should further relax its visa policies and simplify procedures to attract high spending tourists from Japan, North America, Northern Europe, China and South Korea.

They have called for the current 15-day visa exemption extended to 30 days.

Source - VN EXPRESS

#Indonesia - Marinda airport in Raja Ampat set to become international airport.

The Transportation Ministry has approved plans for the Marinda Airport in Raja Ampat to become an international airport.

The approval came after West Papua governor met with Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi two weeks ago to propose a runway extension. The plan was first initiated in 2015.

Raja Ampat Regent Abdul Faris Umlati has been wanting to extend the runway from 1,200 meters to 2,500 meters that will allow larger planes to land at Marinda.

The airport itself was officiated by the former Transportation Minister E.E. Mangindaan on May 9, 2012. The airport currently has a 1,200m x 30m runway, one 80m x 60m airport apron and one terminal with a total area of 120 meters.

FOR THE BEST GLOBAL HOTEL & FLIGHT BOOKINGS

 The Marinda airport operates from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., serving Susi Air and Wings Air airlines. As the first airline to fly to Raja Ampat, Susi Air uses a Cessna Grand Caravan. Susi Air used to only fly once a week but it currently offers several flights to Raja Ampat.

Meanwhile Wings Air has been serving the Raja Ampat route since January 2017. Using an ATR 72-600, the service travels to Manado – Raja Ampat – Sorong – Monokwari once per day.

Beginning Oct. 21, Sriwijaya Air and NAM Air are going to open new routes to Raja Ampat from Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Semarang and Makassar.

Other than air travel, tourists can also travel by sea to Raja Ampat, departing from Sorong and using a speed boat, which takes around two hours.

Source - TheJakartaPost

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This is the future of business-class seats

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While the vast majority of fliers are feeling the squeeze with tighter and tighter economy seats (we’re looking at you, American Airlines) and downright frightening customer-service disasters (United), we might well be witnessing the dawn of a new golden age of travel in the business-class section.

Now a standard fixture on most planes—both the jumbo jets that regularly traverse oceans as well as the single-aisle planes that make domestic short hops—business class first debuted a mere 40 years ago. British Airways created a “Club Class” between first and coach back in 1978, while Qantas coined the actual term “business class” a year later.

The new first class

So where is business class heading now? First off, it’s replacing first class on many airplanes and routes—it’s simply a less-expensive, less-expansive version of first class that still features lie-flat beds, multicourse menus created by celebrity chefs, and amenity kits stocked with spa products. It makes sense for airlines: There are more seats and more fliers who can purchase these seats, thus more money to be made.

FOR THE BEST GLOBAL HOTEL & FLIGHT BOOKINGS

Second, the seats in business class are getting innovative updates—both technological and ergonomic—that should impact the flight experience in large and small ways. And since airlines typically fly just a handful of aircraft types, you’ll see similar-looking seat styles across brands. There will be uniformity in the improvements. It’s shockingly expensive (think millions of dollars and several years) to develop a new business-class product, so once risk-averse airlines find a style that works, they stick to it. 

The focus now is on refining the use of space and new technology within each seat to maximize passenger comfort.

READ CONTINUE

 

AirAsia sets up low-cost airline in Vietnam

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Malaysian budget airline AirAsia Berhad plans to start a low-cost carrier in Vietnam in a joint venture with local businesses to tap the country’s booming travel market, company representatives told Viet Nam News in Hanoi.

AirAsia signed a shareholders’ agreement with Vietnam’s Gumin Co Limited, Hải Âu Aviation Joint Stock Company and Trần Trọng Kiên, the owner of these two companies, to form the joint venture last Friday, which was announced by the airline to Malaysia’s stock exchange. 

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The carrier, expected to start flying at the beginning of 2018, will need an investment of 1 trillion dong (US$44 million), with AirAsia holding 30 per cent and Gumin 70 per cent.

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Vietnam is the latest country to lure Malaysian billionaire Tony Fernandes, the head of AirAsia, who is aspiring to build a low-cost airline network covering Asia, as the 28-per-cent growth in Vietnam’s aviation market is three times the rate in other Southeast Asian countries.

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Vietnam is also the fifth biggest aviation market in the region, after Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, with a passenger volume that has doubled since 2013 thanks to a growing middle class population that accounted for 25 per cent of the total population by 2010.

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In recent years, AirAsia has established affiliates in Indonesia, Thailand, India and Japan. The airline is betting on low-cost airline models for international travel through its AirAsia X subsidiary. Fernandes has also ordered hundreds of Airbus aircraft worth billions of dollars to meet his ambitious growth plans, and he is in the process of selling a subsidiary specialising in leasing aircrafts to raise cash.

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However, Brendan Sobie, an analyst at CAPA Centre for Aviation, told Bloomberg that AirAsia would face huge challenges, because it was late in entering the Vietnamese market. “The market is currently well served by two carriers, VietJet Air and Jetstar Pacific. The growth rate will slow down in the coming years, as the low-cost market is now more mature.”

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The value of Vietjet Aviation Joint Stock Company shares has grown 52 per cent since its listing on HCM Stock Exchange in February 28.

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According to a report released by ACB Securities in December last year, passenger traffic in Vietnam will continue to grow at double-digit rates over the next decade, after an annual growth of 17 per cent in the last decade.

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Source - TheNation

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7 more carriers look to U-tapao Airport, #Pattaya

At least seven airlines are planning to begin operating at U-tapao Rayong Pattaya International Airport to serve tourists and business travelers.

 Rear Admiral Worapol Tongpricha, director of U-tapao Airport, said it had received more commercial air traffic since it opened full services.

He said at least seven airlines including Hong Kong Airlines, China Southern, Okay Airways, Emirates, and local operator Pattaya Airlines planned to operate flights into U-tapao Airport.

Hong Kong Airlines plans to operate four fights per week, while China Southern expects to start operations in January. Pattaya Airlines will resume its services. The rest are working on their business plans.

Worapol said Terminal 2 was still undergoing construction at a cost of Bt800 million, but when it is completed next year it will increase annual capacity by a million passengers.

From October last year to last month, the number of passenger rose tenfold thanks to more airlines using the airport.

"We believe that U-tapao can attract more airlines and travellers as its passenger service charge of Bt400 per passenger is lower than Bt700 at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Parking and landing fees are also more than 60 per cent cheaper than at Suvarnabhumi," he said.

 Several airlines are already operating scheduled flights at the airport such as Bangkok Airways, Kan Air, and Thai AirAsia. Tassapon Bijleveld, chief executive officer of Thai AirAsia, said the airline inaugurated four new routes yesterday, flying from U-tapao Airport to Chiang Mai, Udon Thani, Singapore and Macau.

The airline celebrated the occasion by giving 60 young people from Chiang Mai and Udon Thani their first flight experience, flying them to U-tapao to visit HTMS Chakri Naruebet, the Royal Thai Navy's aircraft carrier.

AirAsia now operates eight routes from U-tapao Airport. It flies to Kuala Lumpur four times weekly, Nanning three times weekly, Nanchang four times, Singapore seven times, Macau seven times, Chiang Mai 10 times, Udon Thani seven times and Hat Yai four times, for a total of 46 flights a week.

U-tapao Airport is AirAsia's fifth flight hub connecting the Eastern region to the rest of Thailand and international destinations, and the airline has noted a strong positive response.

"We are proud to have to started and to be a part of U-tapao Airport's burgeoning vibrancy and ability to welcome commercial air travel. We have stationed two Airbus A320 [aircraft] at U-tapao Airport, which serve a total of eight routes," Tassapon said.

Thai AirAsia expects to serve 14.5 million passengers with a load factor of 82 per cent this year. Next year, the airline hopes to carry 16.5 million passengers with an 82-per-cent load factor.

The airline is scheduled to receive five more aircraft next year, which will help it add two new routes to India and several in the domestic market. 

Source: The Nation

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