Regarding the pilot shortage, while the global demand is real, the situation in Thailand presents a somewhat contradictory picture. Recent news alleging that some pilots have to pay under-the-table fees just to secure flying hours makes one wonder if the perceived shortage is, in part, exacerbated by patronage and nepotism within the system.

As for Artificial Intelligence, its impact on pilot staffing may be limited. Even if fully autonomous flight systems are eventually deployed, standby pilots will still be required to manage emergencies. Consequently, the standard requirement of two pilots per flight is likely to remain, though pilot compensation might decline in the future.

Finally, regarding Thailand, airport congestion remains a critical bottleneck. Leaving aside past issues of airport monopolies, Bangkok’s reliance on Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang is no longer sufficient. If Thailand truly aims to serve as a primary regional hub connecting India, China, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines, planning for a brand-new airport project should begin now. Relying solely on Suvarnabhumi’s South Terminal expansion and Don Mueang’s Phase 3 development will simply not be enough to meet future demand.

I agree. Boeing’s forecast is certainly encouraging for the global travel industry. Let’s hope the current geopolitical tensions begin to ease, as greater stability is exactly what destinations like Thailand need. The country has weathered plenty of storms over the years and has always shown remarkable resilience. I’m optimistic that, with strong demand for travel still out there, Thailand will bounce back once confidence fully returns.

Always great to hear from you, my friend

Regarding backpackers, I completely understand the sentiment. Nevertheless, in recent years, a significant number of backpackers have caused disruptions, particularly in popular tourist provinces, leading many locals to support this measure. Realistically, these are two separate issues; we should strictly enforce the law against unruly tourists rather than relying solely on taxation. That being said, 300 Baht is roughly equivalent to just a few cans of beer, so personally, I don’t anticipate it being a major deterrent—at least, I hope not.

As for the outbound travel tax, the rationale is actually quite straightforward. The government simply wishes to welcome foreign visitors while encouraging Thai citizens to travel domestically rather than spending abroad.

Lastly, regarding the allocation of these funds into the central budget, I believe this stems from the fact that many provinces cannot yet be self-sustaining. To put it simply, local tax revenue in those areas is quite limited. Therefore, the central government must step in to manage and redistribute funds to support lower-income provinces, as tax collection is heavily concentrated in a handful of high-traffic tourist destinations. In fact, even as a Thai citizen, I can barely name ten provinces that are truly high-yielding.

By 2028 there will be two rail routes to North Thailand — Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai —so the options for heritage train tours in the northern region will be more varried linking two destinations and offering more land tour options for the train operator.

Andrew J Wood

It is even a bigger challenge for Myanmar, a country that has just emerged from a 5 years civil war after the recent national election. Myanmar tourism has been most severely impacted and suffering from these unfortunate recent geopolitical conflicts and is trying to recover. Therefore, it deserves support from all stakeholders especially tourism players of the Greater Mekong countries.

As an avid promoter of Mekong tourism for 2 decades plus, I have signed up to support this forum immediately and looking forward to help contributing in a small way as I did before.

I do recommend the Myanmar government to open up the borders immediately for foreign visitors to enable seamless travel by land.