Low-cost airlines dump fares

BANGKOK, 17 May 2013: Low-cost carriers are dumping their saver fares for travel show goers who book and pay for the fares at the show no later than this Sunday, 19 May.

The fare specials are the most interesting incentives at a show called “Wanthamada Thi Mai Thammada” (An ordinary day turns special) hosted at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre over the weekend .

Nok Air sells fares to show visitors who book at the airline’s booth at Bt1,000 all ex-Bangkok to Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, Nakhon Phanom, Phitsanulok, Chumporn, Ranong, Chiang Mai-Mai Hong Son, and Chiang Mai-Mae Sot. Other domestic routes sell at Bt1,100 to show goers.

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Prizes pack domestic travel show

BANGKOK, 17 May 2013: Tourism Authority of Thailand hopes its consumer domestic fair Wan Thammada Thi Mai Thammada (An ordinary day turns special) to boost tourism during the up-coming low season.

The domestic fair opened Thursday and runs through to Sunday 19 May at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, Plenary Hall zone C, 1000 to 2000.

At the opening ceremony, TAT domestic market deputy governor, Thawatchai Aranyik, said organising the fair would support the government’s policy to raise tourism revenue to Bt2 trillion.

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Fairs boosts dive and golf travel

BANGKOK, 17 May 2013: The Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre organiser expects its 10th Thailand Travel & Dive Expo together with Golf Expo 2013 will  encourage more year-round travel and help to close the revenue gap between peak and low seasons.

NCC Exhibition Organiser Co Ltd board, Sakchai Pattarapreechakul, said the fair organised with the Tourism Authority of Thailand should encourage  more domestic tourists to travel year round.

“The Dive expo was started in 2004. NCC talked to people who loved diving and since then it has grown into a very successful show. The fair offers variety for travellers who love sport and adventure.”

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PG heads for Mandalay

BANGKOK, 16 May 2013: Bangkok Airways will introduce a new service to Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar, in September offering four flights weekly.

The airline will launch the Bangkok-Mandalay route, 15 September, using an Airbus A319 aircraft. The flight will depart Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport at 1200 and return from Mandalay at 1410. Flight time is one hour and 50 minutes.

Bangkok Airways will be the third airline to operate flights to Mandalay following Thai AirAsia, which introduced its services last October and THAI Smile in March this year.

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Thai AirAsia raises target

BANGKOK, 16 May 2013: Thai AirAsia plans for more services and will add aircraft to drive passenger traffic to 10 million by year end.

Asia Aviation Plc CEO, Tassapon Bijleveld, said the airline plans to increase flight frequencies to popular domestic destinations such as Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Hat Yai, as well as strengthen its networks in China and throughout Indochina, both of which experienced rapid expansion in 2012.

“Chinese trips to Thailand, according to the Department of Tourism’s first quarter 2013 statistics, increased 97% (over 850,000 people), and around 50% of them travelled with AirAsia,” he claimed.

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Early bird fare deals

BANGKOK, 16 May 2013: Nok Air cuts domestic fares for travelling periods 24 May to 15 January 2014 and 16 January to 29 March 2014, but sales are only open 17 to 27 May.

The airline sells one-way fares inclusive of airport taxes ex-Bangkok to Phitsanulok, Nakhon Phanom, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Chiang Mai–Mae Hong Son, and Chiang Mai–Mae Sot routes at Bt1,000 per sector.

Fares on other routes for travel during the same period cost Bt1,100. They are: Chiang Rai; Chiang Mai; Hat Yai; Phuket; Sakhon Nakhon; Nakhon Si Thammarat; Trang; Surat Thani; Buri Ram; Chumphon; Loei; Mae Sot; Nan; Phrae; Roi Et; Ranong; Chiang Mai–Hat Yai; and Chiang Mai–Udon Thani routes.

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Nok plans Myanmar hop

BANGKOK, 15 May 2013: Nok Air plans to operate its first regionall flight connecting Thailand’s border town Mae Sot and  Myanmar’s  port Mawlamyine, later this year.

Nok Air chief financial officer, Vithai Ratanakorn, said the airline will operate service to Myanmar to tap the boom in business travel.

“According to the plan, we will serve the Mae Sot-Mawlamyine route  in September and then Mae Sot to Yangon in October, while a Bangkok (Don Mueang) – Yangon route will start in November.”

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Hua Hin Jazz Festival

PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN, 15 May 2013: Hua Hin Jazz Festival will return 31 May to 1 June, after an absence of one year, at the seaside venue of Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

It marks the 12th anniversary of the annual jazz festival in a town that has been associated with jazz since the early days of HM the King’s reign, who invited jazz musicians for jam sessions, either at his beachside palace or at the nearby Hua Hin Railway Hotel.

Decades later, the royal town of Hua Hin re-established the  music tradition with its annual jazz festival, although the drift this year will focus on Asian jazz rather than western style bands. The line-up includes the Japanese Jun Abe Group and Les Frebes, Indonesian pianist Nita Aartsen and a number of home-grown talent from Bangkok.

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Bring back quality travel

BANGKOK, 15 May 2013: To offset losses caused by  fierce competition in the Russian and CIS markets, travel companies need to create more profitable luxury products to present at the up-coming Thailand Travel Mart 2013.

ILVES Tour company group general manager, Mikhail IIyin, who has registered for TTM+2013 told TTR Weekly by email that due to an expansion of Turkish and Russian tour operators, the market has drifted into a low-cost business model.

“There are huge price wars in the market therefore, the general trend in CIS markets is low-cost services, low class hotels, minimum spend on dining and shopping.”

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Discount on PG’s Dhaka service

BANGKOK, 15 May 2013: Bangkok Airways sells saver fares for passengers flying it recently revived service to Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The fares are valid for travel up until 31 March 2014.

The promotion sells a one-way fare excluding fuel and insurance surcharges and airport taxes ex-Bangkok at Bt8,500.

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