Five of Asia’s Top 25 Beaches in 2017 are in Thailand, according to the latest poll of the popular global travel website TripAdvisor, which has just released its annual Travelers’ Choice listings.

Nai Han Beach, Kata Noi Beach, and Freedom Beach at Patong, Phuket were listed as 4th , 8th and 11th , while Phra Nang Cave Beach and Railay Beach in Krabi took 7th and 14th place, respectively in the list of Top 25 Beaches – Asia. The TripAdvisor 2017 Travelers’ Choice beaches are determined based on the quantity and quality of travelers’ reviews and ratings on the TripAdvisor website gathered over a 12-month period.

Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said, “The best accolade that Thailand’s beaches have is the fact that so many holiday-makers return to them year after year, knowing that they’ll find peace and beauty, as well as warm seas and swaying palms that make for picture-postcard memories. We are proud that five Thai beaches are so loved by TripAdvisor users and their invaluable feedback helps us to improve these beaches and ensure they’re looked after for tourists and generations to come”.

Nai Harn Beach was praised by TripAdvisor users for its pristine waters, colourful fish and unspoiled state, while Kata Noi stood out for its amazing scenery and peace and quiet. Over in Krabi, the Pra Nang Cave Beach on Ao Nang bay was loved by TripAdvisor reviewers for the jungle environs and the chance to take kayak trips off-shore.

Freedom Beach on the southern end of Patong Beach in Phuket was described as the place to get away from the crowds as it’s “secluded and gorgeous.” Meanwhile, Krabi’s Railay Beach is popular for its caves and unparalleled rock climbing tours, according the TripAdvisor reviews.

Thailand’s two major beach destinations, Pattaya and Phuket, will boast direct air connections when Thai AirAsia begins daily services between the two cities on March 30.

The flight will leave Pattaya (U-Tapao) at 10.55 and land in Phuket at 12.15. The return flight will depart Phuket at 12.50 and arrive in Pattaya at 14.10.

Speaking at a press briefing, Wednesday, the airline’s commercial director, Santisuk Klongchaiya, said the two new routes would strengthen the airline’s regional network from Pattaya.

“Regional connections in Thailand are a core strength of Thai AirAsia’s and part of its policy to create new travel opportunities for all the country’s regions through direct flights.”

He added: “The new routes will help to save travel time for passengers, particularly for those in the east who want to travel to Phuket and Ubon Ratchathani without flying via Bangkok.”

Thai AirAsia currently operates the most regional connections among its peers with flights out of its six airport hubs of Bangkok (Don Mueang), Phuket, Chiang Mai, Krabi, U-Tapao and Hat Yai.

Together the hubs offer 11 regional connections on 16 flights daily with an average load factor of 85% in 2016. inside-no-31

The airline is offering one-way promotional fares, inclusive of airport tax, ex-U-Tapao, starting at THB490 to Ubon Ratchathani and THB790 to Phuket.

Bookings must be made by 26 February for travel during 30 March this year to 6 February next year.

The Thai Cabinet approved, Tuesday, an extension of its free visa concession for tourists from 21 countries for another six months.

Tourists who need a visa to visit Thailand must still apply through normal channels, but the customary THB1,000 fee to process the visa is waived. The visa is valid for a 30-day stay.

The concession applies from 1 March to 31 August this year. The current free visa concession is due to expire 28 February.

inside no 3Eligible nationalities: Andorra, Bulgaria, Bhutan, China, Cyprus, Ethiopia, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Papua New Guinea and Republic of Fiji Islands.

India, China and Saudi Arabia are three markets that should benefit the most from the free visa privilege.

The visa-on-arrival fee that was increased, 27 September, last year, to THB2,000 has also been reduced to THB1,000 for citizens of the 21 countries. The visa-on-arrival is valid for 15 days.

The scheme aims to encourage more travellers to visit the kingdom particularly from major markets like China, India, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan.

Last year, China was top of Thailand tourism player recording 8.75 million visits increasing 10.34% from 7.93 million visits in 2015.

Other markets: 1.19 million from India (+11.63%); 522,231 from Taiwan (-5.51%); and 24,830 from Saudi Arabia (+29.54%).

Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said the fee concession will help to attract more travellers to visit the country during low tourism season.

“The policy will also help the country’s tourism to achieve its 2017 target of 35 million foreign visits generating THB1.78 trillion in revenue …the scheme will also encourage FIT travellers to choose Thailand as their travel destination.”

Overall tourism-related revenue is targeted to reach THB2.71 trillion this year, of which THB930 billion will come from domestic travellers.

In 2016, the country attracted 32,588,303 international visits improving 8.91% compared to 29,923,185 in 2015.

Last year, overall tourism revenue reached THB2.51 trillion increasing 10.93% and exceeding the target of THB2.4 trillion.

Of that, THB1.64 trillion came from international markets and THB870 billion from the domestic market. They are revenue estimates based on exit surveys to determine an average spend per tourist, but are not considered accurate.

The revenue forecasts are based on spending estimates based on exit surveys and other sources such as data on credit card spend.

In related news, the Minister of Tourism confirmed a pilot project to introduce an e-Visa will be introduced by the end of the year.

If the trial run is successful e-Visas will be rolled out for all nationalities that need a visa by the end of 2018.

While Thailand is the leisure travel leader in ASEAN it has been slow to use technology to make visa applications more user friendly. Myanmar was the first ASEAN nation to introduce a e-Visas online with credit card payment. Vietnam has recently announced it will introduce a similar e-Visa service this year.

Turkish Airline will start flights connecting Istanbul and Phuket this July.

According to the airline website, the new service will operate with four weekly flights starting 17 July from Istanbul. The return flight to Istanbul will departs Phuket 18 July.

The airline will use an Airbus A330-300 aircraft, configured with three cabin classes.

inside no 2The airline is struggling with losses after a coup and terror attacks that have not only cut tourism to the country, but also discouraged passengers who previously used Istanbul as a gateway to connect with other destinations in Europe.

The Phuket flight has considerable risks for the airline financially as Phuket’s low season runs from May through to October, when heavy monsoon rain hits the west coast resorts of the island.

Usually airlines would launch a Phuket service in November to get off to a strong start with the hope it could build up enough interest to see it through the low season months usually on the back of cheap holiday offers.

Turkey has been hit by a spate of attacks blamed on Islamic extremists and Kurdish militants, while tourists were further spooked by the attempted overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the 15 July failed coup and the subsequent crackdown.

Turkish Airlines’ hub at the country’s main airport in Istanbul was the scene of recent terror attacks.

Up until 2015, Turkish Airline was a rising star in aviation, turning a profit on the geographical location of Istanbul promoted as the preferred gateway to Europe from Asia. Today, it faces heavy losses with no end in sight. inside-no-21

The airline sells a roundtrip promotional fare, inclusive of all taxes, fees and surcharges, ex-Phuket starting at THB23,400 to Istanbul.

The deal is similar to what Middle East airlines offer with a stop in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha and links to most major cities in Europe.

Booking must be made by 15 February for travel 17 July to 30 September this year.

Russian arrivals are back to pre-crisis level while the zero-baht tourism ban curbed Q4 growth, the newly released C9 Hotelworks ‘Phuket Hotel Market Update’ for February says.

With total airport arrivals surpassing 7.5 million passengers, Phuket experienced a sharp year-on-year rise of 18 per cent, compared to 13 per cent the previous year. This is largely attributed to the resurgence of the Russian source market, which increased 51 per cent last year. The rebound was prompted by the strengthening of the ruble against the Thai baht and political volatility in the Middle East that shifted Russian tourists to the island during high season.

Another notable source market is Mainland China, whose arrivals were substantially affected after a nationwide government’s crackdown on zero-baht tourism in September last year. The growth rate of Chinese visitors for 2016 was down from 35 per cent to 11 per cent. However, the impact from the new enforcement is expected to soften in early 2017 with more Chinese travelers arriving during Chinese New Year.

Another key market issue is the influx of Airbnb and residential products now competing in the hotel space.

“There has been a significant change in the Department of Tourism and Sports’ revised hotel supply data to include both registered and unregistered tourist accommodations in late 2016, with Phuket now showing a total of 81,727 keys in 1,744 establishments,” says C9 Managing Director Bill Barnett.

“This shift demonstrates the Thai government’s focus on addressing the widespread proliferation of unlicensed accommodation, and the provincial administration has issued an ultimatum for illegal hotels to either register or face legal action,” he adds.

The balance between two major source markets ended the year on a positive note as the hotels’ RevPAR rose by 4 per cent, which was propelled by a significant uplift in market-wide occupancy of 6.2 per cent, according to data from STR. Overall, Phuket hotels achieved slightly more than 75 per cent annualized occupancy for the year.

One key highlight of the C9 report is a 10-year perspective on growth in one of Asia’s leading report destinations. Over that period, growth in airlift has been threefold, which is a key catalyst for demand. The island has has been successful in attracting new developments with more brand-affiliated properties.

Currently, the hotel pipeline has a total of 5,495 keys in 32 new hotels which are expected to come on stream by 2020.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has penned a major agreement with Etihad Airways to boost the country’s international visitor arrivals.

The new US$1 million agreement will see the Abu Dhabi-based airline team up with the TAT to jointly promote travel to Thailand from several key markets, including the UAE, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Egypt and Kuwait.

The agreement was signed by Etihad’s vice president of marketing, Tim Burnell, and the TAT’s deputy governor, Tanes Petsuwan, at an event in Bangkok.

“Etihad Airways has a long and proud association with Thailand – in fact Bangkok was one of our first international routes. It continues to be one of the busiest in our network enjoying strong year-round demand, particularly from the UAE, GCC, Middle East, Africa and Europe,” Burnell said.

“With five daily flights to Thailand – four to Bangkok and one to Phuket – Etihad Airways has a significant investment in Thai tourism and the new agreement with Tourism Authority of Thailand supports and extends that commitment.

“Through innovative joint marketing campaigns, we aim to bring hundreds of thousands of first-time and repeat travellers from Europe and the Middle East to Thailand to enjoy this beautiful country,” he added.

Bangkok continues to be one of Etihad’s busiest routes, with approximately 800,000 passengers travelling on its flights to and from the Thai capital in 2016. In total, more than six million people have flown on the airline’s Thai routes since 2007.

“Europe has long been a prime market for Thailand. We have also seen an increase in visitors from the Middle East and Africa,” Tanes explained. “The new partnership with Etihad Airways will be a great benefit to both parties – to Thailand in terms of increased visitor numbers and to Etihad Airways in terms of promoting its international network.”

The TAT has set a target of 34.5 million international visitors in 2017, generating an estimated THB1.81 trillion (US$ 50 billion) in tourism receipts.

Combining travel with sport, The Bay Regatta is a four-day circumnavigation of Phang Nga Bay that takes in three of southern Thailand’s most scenic provinces – Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi – and where the emphasis is on fun.

Attracting the serious, the not-so-serious and the not-at-all-serious “racing” sailors, the regatta appeals to an international mix who enjoy the stunning sailing grounds of the area and a different destination each evening.

Starting from Phuket on 15th February, organisers Regattas Asia are expecting a large fleet to celebrate this milestone 20th Anniversary edition.

“The successful event format hasn’t changed much over the years, but the sailors, types of boats and demographics have. We are seeing more international sailors flying in and chartering boats to take part and we’re also seeing more people opting to stay ashore each evening, rather than on their boats,” said Ms. Kae Wattana, Managing Director of organisers Regattas Asia.

The Bay Regatta is an excellent example of how sports tourism works to the benefit of communities and local economies.

“Each evening we anchor at a different venue and the sailors go ashore. Those staying ashore – more than 60% of the fleet – book accommodation and either eat in the local restaurants or enjoy the official event functions which engage with the local community. Most of the expenditure of the regatta goes directly into the local economies of the areas we visit – this has been the case since the regatta was launched and it will remain so for the future,” commented Ms. Wattana.

Held from 15th to 19th February, The Bay Regatta is a series of passage races – an event format that has caught the attention of sailors around the world with participants coming from as far afield as Australia, Russia, the UK and Canada to compete in six classes (Racing Class, Cruising A, Cruising B, Bareboat Charter, Racing Multihulls and Cruising Multihulls).

The 2017 programme is as follows:

• 15th February: Registration and Opening Party at Chandara Resort and Spa, Ao Po (Phuket).
• 16th February: Day 1 – Race from Ao Po to Paradise Koh Yao with prize giving at Paradise Koh Yao Resort (Phang Nga).
• 17th February: Day 2 – Race from Paradise Koh Yao to Krabi. Free night (Krabi).
• 18th February: Day 3 – Race around Krabi’s islands with prize giving at Railay Bay Resort & Spa (Krabi).
• 19th February: Day 4 – Race from Krabi to Ao Chalong. Prize giving and Closing Dinner at Kan Eang II, Ao Chalong (Phuket).

Moving gear and personnel around the three provinces, and providing evening social events at different destinations each evening, The Bay Regatta is a logistical challenge that requires a dedicated team to make everything go smoothly.

“To organise and operate the regatta is no small feat. My team work very hard to make the event a success for the participants but we couldn’t do it without our sponsors and the excellent co-operation we get from the relevant authorities and local businesses along the route,” added Ms. Wattana.

The Bay Regatta is organised by leading water sports event management company Regattas Asia, and will take place 15th to 19th February, 2017.

The Asian outbound tourism boom is driving a more mature type of traveller who is seeks regular, independent travel, a new report has revealed.

In a major survey, Sabre found that travel is now becoming mainstream in the region, with four in five Asians now seeing travel as a necessity, rather than a luxury. And this is driving higher travel frequencies, with one in three Asians now travelling for leisure three or more times a year.

Sabre’s report also reveals that the majority of Asians now seek independent travel. Dividing respondents into four categories, Sabre found that the highest proportion (38%) are “Explorers”, who are self-orientated and like to take control of their own trips. The second largest group (23%) remains the typical group tourists, or

“Followers”, who prefer to be taken care of and use a holiday to spent time with other people. The remaining two categories – the “Connecters” (20%) and Opportunities (18%) – fall somewhere in between.

But taking more control of a trip does not come at the expense of external support; in fact the study found that almost two thirds of Asians (64%) expect to use a travel agency for their next trip.

“Barriers to travel in the region are breaking down… meaning traveller volumes are undisputedly on the rise. But traveller preferences are also evolving,” commented Todd Arthur, vice president of sales & market development for Sabre Travel Network Asia Pacific. “Those who work in the industry are observing that serving travellers based on a traditional trip category alone, such as business or solo or senior travel, has limited value in today’s more dynamic market.”

Sabre studyThe Explorer category was the top traveller type in all 11 Asia Pacific markets surveyed: Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan.

But Connectors, who like to take control of their trips but also like to connect with other people, tend to be prevalent in Australia, Indonesia, Korea and New Zealand, while Opportunists, who are self-orientated by like to be taken care of, are common in China and Taiwan.

Finally the Followers are most likely to reside in Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.

“Asia Pacific’s travel industry is booming. Not only are we the world’s largest travel market today but we are also one of the regions with the highest levels of projected growth. With this comes rapid evolution in the way people travel; their expectations, choices, likes and dislikes. We need to understand these changes to keep the travel industry players we serve at the forefront of this evolution,” stated Sabre Travel Network’s senior vice president for Asia Pacific, Roshan Mendis.

Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister says she wants to extend the free tourist visa concession for another three months after it lapses at the end of February.

Tourism Minister, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, is expected to present her proposal to the Thai Cabinet, Tuesday.

She will also include extending the period visitors can obtain a visa-on-arrival for THB1,000, instead of the customary THB2,000.

inside no 6The reality is there is no hard evidence that free visas are boosting tourist arrivals, but it sends out a positive message that Thailand welcomes visitors.

A belated crackdown on zero-dollar tours from China launched last September triggered the initial three months of free visas and a discount on the visa-on-arrival.

Pulling the carpet from under the feet of zero-dollar tour operators, caused arrivals from China to plummet.

Jittery tourism officials said it cut arrivals from China by 30% without acknowledging that the business had minimal financial value for the country re tax collection.

It prospers on shopping and attraction commissions that represent up to 40% of attraction entrance fees, service and sightseeing costs, or the price tags of handicrafts, silk and gems. Prices were inflated to fill the wallets of Chinese tour operators and their local partners. They lobbied the media when their pot of gold lost its shine and a sad story of massive losses in tourism revenue obscured the fact that ‘zero-dollar’ was indeed an apt description. There was no real value to country and legitimate suppliers, only the greedy few who schemed at the expense of travellers.

inside no 6.1Travel from China remains soft in January but the Chinese who are visiting Thailand will spend more without being fleeced or conned.

There has been plenty of talk about slowing the China market, encouraging quality rather than numbers, establishing carrying capacity guidelines when dealing with China travel, the world’s fastest growing market. In other words putting the brakes on growth to prevent it running downhill out of control. But that was just talk.

The reality is the minister panicked. She fears a major drop in tourist arrivals something the industry might blame on government intervention.

The government made the right decision. There should be no room for zero-dollar tours when a country can comfortable garner 30 million tourist arrivals despite all the outside challenges and security scares.

She should stick to her guns and clean up the China market with long-term goals in mind; safeguarding Thailand’s tourism reputation, creating balance in markets and striving for quality.

The minister told the Bangkok Post, last week, that the free visa and visa-on-arrival discount had helped to boost tourist arrivals in December and that during, 1 to 20 January, arrivals reached 1.8 million, representing a 6% increase. Visa-free travellers dominate those arrivals from more than 30 nations, despite China and India (both bound by visa requirements), so attributing a 6% increase in tourist arrivals to a free visa or one that was discounted, was frankly a leap of faith. Most visitors to Thailand do not require a visa so the scheme, apart from its PR value, probably had no impact at all on the bottom line.

For all the nations that need a visa, Thailand would be better served if it introduced an e-Visa facility using an online application, fast approval and a credit card payment. This would save potential travellers considerable time and reduce the queues at airport visa-on-arrival desks, that are a major pain point for travellers. Immigration officials could still vet applications, check blacklists that are online and reduce the need for costly, time-consuming travel to a consulate, waiting for three days under consideration, or posting a passport in the mail.

It would be particularly useful for Indian travellers who are tech savvy and they would be more comfortable with an online e-Visa service.

But extending the free visa concession and discounting a visa-on arrival by 50% makes for positive press. Free or discounted you still have to apply and queue. The process remains the same regardless of the absence of a fee or a temporary discount.