TAT seeks more budget for airline joint promotions

TAT is asking the government to allocate more budget for promotions with airlines, incentivising new flight routes to boost revenue to 3.5 trillion baht this year.

The government's goal is to attract no fewer than 39 million international tourists to Thailand throughout 2024, aiming to generate total tourism revenue of 3.5 trillion baht. 

The "Airline Focus" strategy is crucial in the post-Covid era, as airlines are the primary means of transporting travellers from all corners of the globe.

If the marketing and promotional efforts in collaboration with airlines hit the mark during this full recovery phase, it will translate to significant tourism revenue. Tourism is currently playing a crucial role in the Thai economy.

Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, deputy governor for Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Americas markets at the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said TAT needs an additional budget for joint promotions with airlines and other partners to increase flight frequencies and attract more international tourists. 

He said he is confident that with additional budgetary support, TAT will be able to meet its set targets.

"During the high season from late 2024 to early 2025, we see a positive recovery trend among airlines, both those already approved to fly to Thailand and those preparing to do so. TAT will support airlines in making the decision to commence flights to Thailand through joint performance indicators," Siripakorn said. 

"The initial support budget for joint promotions with airlines is crucial. Once airlines establish and stabilise their routes, they will not allow themselves to operate at a loss. If they can continue independently, further support will not be necessary."

Despite having a limited budget in the past, TAT has continued to work with private-sector partners and coordinated various collaborations. 

Specifically for the long-haul tourist markets, including Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas, TAT has emphasised the Airline Focus strategy. This strategy aims to encourage airlines to expand routes to both primary and secondary destinations in Thailand.

In 2024, TAT aims for long-haul travellers to make up 30% of all international tourists, contributing 40% of the total foreign tourism revenue. 

After the Covid-19 pandemic ended, there has been a noticeable shift in the proportion of long-haul and short-haul markets. In 2021, as Covid-19 restrictions eased and European countries vaccinated earlier, enabling travel sooner, the proportion of long-haul tourists to Thailand increased to 77%, compared with 23% in 2019 before the pandemic.

Siripakorn added that in 2024 there will be airlines opening new flight routes to additional long-distance markets both during the summer flight schedule (April-October 2024) and winter flight schedule (November 2024-March 2025).

"The overall allocation of summer slots for international flights to Thailand from all markets, both short-haul and long-haul, in 2024 shows a total of 139,324 scheduled international flights, an increase of 28% compared with the same period in 2023, surpassing the numbers from 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic. TAT sees a significant opportunity in the charter-flight market that we plan to capitalise on," Siripakorn said.