TAT and Emirates sign MoU
Promotions for Thailand’s key tourism niche markets should intensify following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, 13 June, between Emirates Airline and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Core elements of the MoU are joint promotions that focus on green tourism, sports, luxury travel, weddings and honeymoons, medical tourism and wellness.
Discussions between TAT and Emirates could also lead to the launch of new routes from Dubai to Chiang Mai in North Thailand and possibly U-Tapao on the eastern seaboard, 30 km beyond Pattaya.
It is understood the MoU outlines support features Emirates would receive if it pioneered a new route to Thailand.
Qatar Airlines is due to start its own service to Chiang Mai from Doha with a stop in Yangon Myanmar later this year. It will give the airline four destinations in Thailand, Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi and Chiang Mai.
Emirates is conducting research on potential new routes to maintain its competitive edge in the Thailand market and Chiang Mai is one the cities under consideration.
Emirates Airline senior vice president of commercial operations – Far East, Badr Abbas, and Tourism Authority of Thailand’s deputy governor for international marketing, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Americas, Juthaporn Rerngronasa, signed off on the joint promotions MoU.
Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Dubai and Middle East Office headed by director, Chalermsak Suranant, led negotiations leading up the accord.
In 2015, Emirates Airline carried more than 700,000 passengers to Thailand. Of that total, more than 580,000 passengers flew to Bangkok and 120,000 passengers to Phuket.
Emirates will add its seventh daily flight between Bangkok and Dubai, 1 July.
The airline has the widest cover of European cities that are just one stop away from Thailand on flights to the airline’s Dubai hub, where there is a change of plane to connect with services to Thailand. The usual ground time to connect is two hours.
Emirates also has some of the most competitive fares starting at around UKP500 roundtrip to Thailand from points in the UK.
It competes head on with two other Middle East airlines, Qatar Airways and Etihad and together they carry the bulk of leisure travellers heading to Thailand from Europe.
Emirates offers 42 flights weekly to Bangkok and 14 flights weekly to Phuket.
The airline operates a mix of Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s on routes to Thailand.
