Thailand is now preparing a series of measures to protect its vital tourism sector if the conflict in the Middle East begins to affect international travel.
On March 13, the Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Thapanee Kiatpaiboon, announced that the agency is setting up a special crisis task force, often described as a “War Room”, to closely monitor developments and their potential impact on tourism.
The task force will track key indicators through a new Tourism Intelligence Dashboard. This system will monitor flight schedules, fuel prices, airline seat capacity, passenger load factors and tourist sentiment.
TAT is also in talks with Airports of Thailand (AOT) about reallocating unused flight slots to airlines interested in operating routes to Thailand.
If the conflict in the Middle East continues for a longer period, Thailand may also try to attract Middle Eastern airlines to use Suvarnabhumi Airport as an additional aviation hub for flights between Europe and Thailand.
New measures to keep tourists coming
At the same time, TAT plans to reduce its dependence on long-haul markets by expanding tourism from nearby Asian countries. Key focus markets include China, South Korea, Japan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, as well as countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The authority will also use remaining funds from the “Thailand Summer Blast” campaign to support airlines in increasing flights to both major and secondary cities across Thailand.
Another proposal being revived is the “Buy International, Free Thailand Domestic Flights” campaign. The idea is to offer foreign tourists who buy international tickets to Thailand free round-trip domestic flights to encourage travel within the country.
Meanwhile, new domestic tourism stimulus measures and potential soft-loan schemes for tourism businesses are also being considered.
At the same time, authorities will continue efforts to communicate essential travel information and reinforce Thailand’s image as a safe destination for international visitors.
