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The Tourism Council of Thailand has forecast as much as Bt1.8 trillion in tourism revenue this year. 
TCT president Ittirit Kinglek said the number of foreign tourists visiting the Kingdom in 2017 was likely to increase by 3.7 per cent year on year. 
He said around 8 million tourists were expected to arrive late this year during the high season, adding that it is unlikely that the Thai tourism industry will be affected by the tensions in the Korean Peninsula. 

SUVARNABHUMI BACK TO FULL CAPACITY 

Airlines have resumed using both runways of Suvarnabhumi Airport after maintenance on the northern end of the east runway was completed two days ahead of schedule. 
The reopening of the east runway means to airport is again operating at normal capacity – two runways servicing 68 flights per hour – said Sirote Duangratana, Airports of Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi general manager. 
The completion of the maintenance work meant all aircraft, including the superjumbo Airbus A380, began using the east runway again from 7am on Monday after an inspection and safety tests, he said.
The work began on March 3.
Sirote said the runway improvement enabled the airport to accommodate more flights.

SUGAR PRICES TO FLOAT LATE THIS YEAR

The Office of the Cane and Sugar Board will let sugar prices float in December, while sugar prices in the global market remain relatively stable. 
Somsak Jantararoungtong, secretary-general of the office, said the plan to float sugar prices would be clearer in October and would be implemented in December. 
The move was endorsed after Brazil had threatened to file a lawsuit against Thailand at World Trade Organisation. Brazil has claimed that Thailand’s sugar subsidy programme is crashing the global market. 
Consumers will be affected only slightly by the decision, Somsak said, because global prices have remained somewhat stable. 
Legal amendments are now under way to facilitate the floating price policy.

KRUNGSRI BACKS THAI-JAPANESE JV

Bank of Ayudhya has signed a project finance facility worth Bt1.255 billion for Sena Hankyu 1 Co, the first joint venture between Sena Development and Hankyu Realty Co, a Japanese developer, to develop a condominium project. 
The deal reflects Krungsri’s strength and expertise as a member of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), the bank says. 
Pornsanong Tuchinda, Krungsri head of commercial banking, said: “The success of this deal highlights the synergy between Krungsri’s local expertise and MUFG’s global network under our mission in leveraging on MUFG’s customer base while servicing Thai property developers. We are in full support of this quality project to be developed by SENA Hankyu 1.” 
Kessara Thanyalakpark, director of Sena Hankyu 1, said: “This JV project is our first collaborative development between Sena and Hankyu. The project leverages on Japanese know-how construction and design technology while converging on current needs and lifestyles of consumers as well as building on Sena’s strong growth momentum.” 
Toda Masahiko, deputy general manager of Hankyu Realty, said: “This is the first project for Hankyu Realty in Thailand. Having a strong strategic partner with in-depth understanding of the Thai property sector, coupled with a very good location, we are strongly confident on the success of the project.”