BANGKOK — AOT expects the total number of passengers in the peak season or fourth quarter of this year, which started in October coinciding with the Chinese National Day.
Dr. Keerati Kijmanawat, Chief Executive Officer of Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT), told Prachachat Business that AOT expects the total number of passengers in the peak season or fourth quarter of this year.
This coincided with the Golden Week of Chinese National Day, to reach a level comparable to that of 2019 before the COVID-19 crisis. Suvarnabhumi Airport alone is expected to handle up to 200,000 passengers per day.
This year, AOT has fully prepared for the service issues it will face in 2019, including check-in processes, security checks and immigration checkpoints. The company has now invested in the installation of self-check-in systems via airline platforms, automated baggage handling systems (self bag drop) and auto gates to improve the efficiency and speed of immigration services.
Other airports such as Don Mueang, Phuket and Chiang Mai are also expected to recover well. AOT is preparing to install car gates at Don Mueang, Phuket and Chiang Mai airports as well.
“We are confident that flights can be handled faster than in the 2019 peak season and that congestion will be manageable. We have set a target that the check-in, security and immigration processes will take no longer than 30 minutes. We have also strengthened management procedures at all airports to ensure that we can handle peak travel times with excellent service,” said Dr. Keerati.
Chinese Travelers Increase
There is an emerging trend that the proportion of Chinese tourists is regularly increasing from 20-25 percent, which is a positive sign. Airlines are also booking slots for both scheduled and charter flights.
“During the period from September 30 to around October 10-15, China’s Golden Week, charter flights are expected to increase by about 25 percent from normal levels, especially at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports,” Dr. Keerati added.
This is in line with data from Agoda, a leading online booking platform, which indicates that Bangkok continues to be a popular destination for Chinese tourists. Bangkok is among the top 5 most popular destinations during China’s Golden Week (October 1-7, 2024), with a 137 percent increase in accommodation searches compared to last year.
Airlines Rush to Book Winter Slots
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) announced that during the 154th Slot Conference (SC154) in Bogotá, Colombia, three months ago, more than 70 airlines from around the world gathered to negotiate flight schedules for the 2024 winter slot from October 27, 2024 to March 29 , 2025.
Airlines from Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, China and the Middle East, including Air France, British Airways, Air Canada, Japan Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Emirates and others, have expressed their interest in securing slots at Thailand’s major airports, including Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket and Chiang Mai.
Bookings to Samui Soar by 35%
Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, CEO of Bangkok Airways, reported that advance bookings for flights, particularly to Samui (which accounts for 65 percent of bookings), have been steadily increasing since the beginning of the year by approximately 13 percent. In Q2, bookings grew by 3 percent, in Q3 by 11 percent, and in Q4, Samui saw a 35 percent growth in advance bookings compared to the same period last year.
The company plans to add two Airbus A319 aircraft to its fleet this year, increasing the total number to 24 planes to accommodate the anticipated travel demand.
4-6 Star Hotel Bookings Surge
Yuthachai Charanachitta, CEO of ONYX Hospitality Group, said that the hotel business in Thailand has recovered significantly. The hotels in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya have exceeded expectations, with the return of European and Russian tourists in Phuket exceeding 100 percent. ONYX’s two hotels in Phuket currently have an average occupancy rate of over 90 percent and room rates are rising.
“We expect bookings for 4-6 star hotels this high season to exceed those of the last two years. We are already seeing a steady increase in advance bookings, especially for hotels in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya, which gives us confidence that this high season will bring both high occupancy rates and higher room rates,” said Yuthachai.
Revenue Expected to Hit ฿3.5 Trillion
Thapanee Kiatpaiboon, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), announced that 25.41 million international tourists visited Thailand from January 1 to September 22, 2024. It is estimated that over 10 million more international tourists will arrive in the last three months of 2024, bringing the total number to 36.7 million. This is expected to generate 3.5 trillion baht ($105 billion) in tourism revenue, reaching the annual target.
“The TAT is accelerating its efforts to promote tourism in line with government policy, focusing on stimulating travel and spending by international tourists to ensure that tourism recovery reaches the set targets, especially in the last quarter of 2024, Thailand’s peak season,” Thapanee concluded.
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