Transport Ministry preparing for expected jump in Chinese tourists
Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit voiced confidence on Thursday that the government’s visa-free policy for Chinese tourists would help increase the number of arrivals from China by up to 5 million for the rest of the year.
Suriya said that he had instructed relevant state agencies, including the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand and Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT), to make preparations for the expected increase in tourist arrivals from China.
“My urgent policy involves an expansion of flight slots and improved area management inside airports to cope with the recovery in the aviation industry and tourism, which is an important engine for the economy,” the transport minister said.
He said that the flight slots for winter, which is considered high season for Thailand’s tourism, could be expanded by at least 15% more than the summer flight schedule.
“We expect tourists from main markets like China will increase by more than 5 million due to the visa-free policy for Chinese tourists in the coming tourism season,” Suriya said.
The new Cabinet on Wednesday decided to waive visa requirements for travellers from China and Kazakhstan in the upcoming busy holiday season. Chinese and Kazakh tourists can enter Thailand without a visa from September 25 and February 29. The temporary waiver is expected to attract 5 million additional visitors.
About 2 million tourists from China have entered Thailand up to the end of August this year.
Suriya said on Thursday that he had instructed AOT to increase the capacity of airports under its management to cope with the influx of travellers. Among the measures would be to allow round-the-clock services at Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Hat Yai airports to ease crowdedness.
Also, he has instructed AOT to expedite the construction of more passenger terminals at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and the provincial airports in Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Chiang Rai. When the new passenger terminals are completed, all the airports under AOT’s management are expected to cope with up to 200 million passengers per year, according to the transport minister.
He also said that for the longer term in the next 5-7 years, a second airport would be built in popular tourist provinces like Chiang Mai and Phuket, to help boost the capacity by a total of 50 million passengers per year.
Suriya said the Transport Ministry was expediting the transfer of many provincial airports currently under the Department of Airports to be under the management of AOT. These include airports in Krabi, Udon Thani, and Buri Ram. He said the transfer would help improve the quality of services while lessening the state’s financial burden.
The Transport Ministry was also adopting the sustainability principle in airport development, Suriya said. This involves measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cut energy costs by installing solar panels at airports. Service vehicles inside airports are required to be powered by electricity. And relevant agencies under the ministry are considering measures for the use of sustainable aviation fuel to meet the standard set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, according to the transport minister.
