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Emirates ramps up China flights

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TTR WEEKLY
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DUBAI, UAE, 20 January 2023: Emirates will ramp up its operations in China on the eve of the Lunar New Year and in response to strong travel demand, boosting connectivity to its gateways; Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing.

Shanghai – service resumption from 20 January 2023 with twice weekly service, gradually increasing to daily service from 1 March.

Emirates will resume passenger services to Shanghai starting with two weekly flights operated by an Airbus A380 aircraft from 20 January 2023, with EK302 departing from Dubai to Shanghai nonstop and EK303 making a short stop in Bangkok before returning to Dubai. This service will ramp up in frequency to four weekly flights operated by a three-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from 02 February 2023.

During this period, Emirates’ flight EK302 will depart Dubai at 0345 and arrive in Shanghai at 1540. The return flight EK303 will depart Shanghai at 1740 and arrive in Bangkok at 2145 before taking off from the Thai capital at 2320 and arriving in Dubai at 0320 the next day.*

Emirates will further boost its Dubai-Shanghai route from 1 March 2023 with a daily nonstop service. Emirates flight EK304 will depart Dubai at 09:15hrs and arrive in Shanghai at 2105. The return flight EK303 will leave Shanghai at 2300 and arrive in Dubai at 0520 the next day.*

Guangzhou – daily nonstop from 1 February 2023

Emirates currently operates a nonstop flight from Dubai to Guangzhou as EK362, and a return flight from Guangzhou to Dubai via Bangkok as EK363, four times a week.

Starting from 1 February 2023, the airline will increase services between Dubai and Guangzhou with EK362/EK363 operating as daily nonstop flights with the flagship Emirates A380. Emirates flight EK362 will leave Dubai at 1045 and arrive in Guangzhou at 2145. The return flight EK363 will depart Guangzhou at 0015 and arrive in Dubai at 0515h.*

Beijing – service resumption from 15 March 2023

Operated by a three-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, Emirates’ flight EK308/ EK307 will return to China’s capital city Beijing with a daily nonstop service from Dubai, starting from 15 March 2023. Emirates flight EK308 will leave Dubai at 1050 and arrive in Beijing at 2220. The return flight EK307 will depart Beijing at 0040 and arrive in Dubai at 0500.*

This will bring the airline’s operations in the market up to 21 weekly flights, providing increased choice and flexibility for both business and leisure travellers and contributing to China’s tourism recovery.

Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, or via travel agents. Travellers are also encouraged to check the latest entry requirements.

Emirates has been serving China for nearly two decades and has established its presence in the Chinese market through strategic partnerships and a continued commitment to the local community throughout the pandemic. Emirates offers travellers increased connectivity to eight domestic points via Guangzhou through its codeshare agreement with China Southern Airline, while simultaneously providing its partner airline customers access to additional destinations within the Middle East and Africa.

Travellers flying with Emirates can enjoy the best experience in the sky with an unmatched culinary experience, regionally inspired multi-course menus developed by a team of award-winning chefs complemented by a wide selection of premium beverages. Customers can sit back and relax with more than 5,000 channels of carefully curated global entertainment content featuring movies, TV shows, music, podcasts, games, audiobooks and more with ice, Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system.

The Emirates A380 experience remains highly sought after by travellers offering 14 First Class suites, 76 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 426 ergonomically designed seats in Economy Class. Customers travelling to and from Guangzhou can look forward to enjoying its spacious and comfortable cabins and signature products that offer travellers the best experiences in the sky, like the Onboard Lounge, First Class suites and Shower Spa.

Customers travelling to and from Shanghai and Beijing can benefit from Emirates’ award-winning service and industry-leading products on board the airline’s three-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which offers eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 304 spacious seats in Economy Class.

* All times are local

(Your Stories: Emirates)

TTF: Where’s our pipeline of people?

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 20 January 2023: Thailand Tourism Forum (TTF 2023) returned to Bangkok earlier this week for its 12th annual edition to debate the issues and inspire future concepts.

Running under the theme “Innovation in Hospitality”, the creative half-day event featured top-level speakers and discussions on key issues set to influence the industry in the months and years to come.

Photo credit: Thailand Tourism Forum
 
From left: Proudputh Liptapanlop, Executive Director of Proud Real Estate; Ho Ren Yung, Senior Vice President of Brand & Commercial, Banyan Tree; Wallapa Traisorat, CEO & President of Asset World Corporation (AWC); Liz Perkins, Vice President of Revenue Management & Commercial Services for Asia Pacific, Hilton; and Bill Barnett, Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks​.

An 800-strong crowd of travel and hospitality professionals took part and heard how Thailand’s tourism machine needs to reinvent itself and become a pioneering force in branding, design and technology to emerge stronger and more sustainable in the post-pandemic era.

The event organiser C9 Hotelworks managing director Bill Barnett led a session on “Why Thailand Must Innovate.” The forum’s keynote speaker Wallapa Traisorat, CEO & President of Asset World Corporation, a Thai hotel owner and developer, tackled the topic of “Creating a New Hospitality Landscape with Brands”.

Other important issues on the agenda included “Disruption and Change in Hotel Technology & Distribution” with Liz Perkins, Hilton’s Vice President of Revenue Management & Commercial Services for Asia Pacific and “Rethinking Thai Design Culture” with Ho Ren Yung, Banyan Tree’s Senior Vice President of Brand & Commercial, and Proudputh Liptapanlop, Executive Director of Proud Real Estate addressed the challenges facing hotel owners in Thailand.

C9’s Bill Barnett highlighted the job market challenges in Thailand’s hotel industry. Workers who were left without a job during the pandemic are now hesitant to return to the industry. Over 1.45 million tourism jobs were lost.

“Where’s our pipeline of people? This is what will create success for the next generation. Thais no longer want to work in hotels, so our mission must be to innovate products and bring the best and brightest people back to the industry. We have to pay higher wages. Now is the time for Thailand’s hotels to change,” Barnett concluded.

UNWTO forecasts fast tourism recovery

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TTR WEEKLY
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MADRID, 20 January 2023: After a stronger-than-expected recovery in 2022, international tourism arrivals could reach pre-pandemic levels in Europe and the Middle East this year, according to the latest assessment by the UNWTO.

Tourists are nonetheless expected to increasingly seek value for money and travel closer to home in response to the challenging economic climate.

Based on UNWTO’s forward-looking scenarios for 2023, global international tourist arrivals could reach 80% to 95% of pre-pandemic levels this year, depending on the extent of the economic slowdown, the ongoing recovery of travel in Asia and the Pacific and the evolution of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, among other factors.

All regions are bouncing back

According to new data from UNWTO, more than 900 million tourists travelled internationally in 2022 – double the number recorded in 2021 though still 63% of pre-pandemic levels.

Every global region recorded notable increases. The Middle East enjoyed the strongest relative increase as arrivals climbed to 83% of pre-pandemic numbers.

Europe reached nearly 80% of pre-pandemic levels as it welcomed 585 million arrivals in 2022.

Africa and the Americas recovered about 65% of their pre-pandemic visitors, while Asia Pacific reached only 23% due to stronger pandemic-related restrictions, which have now been removed.

The first UNWTO World Tourism Barometer of 2023 also analyses performance by region and looks at top performers in 2022, including several destinations which have already recovered 2019 levels.

UNWTO secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili commented: “A new year brings more reason for optimism for global tourism. UNWTO anticipates a strong year for the sector even in the face of diverse challenges, including the economic situation and continued geopolitical uncertainty. Economic factors may influence how people travel in 2023, and UNWTO expects demand for domestic and regional travel to remain strong and help drive the sector’s wider recovery.”

Chinese tourists set to return

UNWTO foresees the recovery to continue throughout 2023 even as the sector faces economic, health and geopolitical challenges. The recent lifting of Covid-19 related travel restrictions in China, the world’s largest outbound market pre-pandemic, represents a significant step for recovery in the Asia Pacific and worldwide.

In the short term, the resumption of travel from China will likely benefit Asian destinations. However, this will be shaped by the availability and cost of air travel, visa regulations, and Covid-19-related restrictions in the destinations. By mid-January, 32 countries had imposed specific travel restrictions related to travel from China, mostly in Asia and Europe.

At the same time, strong demand from the US, backed by a strong US dollar, will continue to benefit destinations in the region and beyond. Europe will continue to enjoy substantial travel flows from the US, partly due to a weaker euro versus the US dollar.

Notable increases in international tourism receipts have been recorded across most destinations. In several cases, the average spending was higher than their growth in arrivals. Spending per trip increased due to longer stays and higher travel costs due to inflation. However, the economic situation could translate into tourists adopting a more cautious attitude in 2023, with reduced spending, shorter trips and travel closer to home. 

Furthermore, continued uncertainty caused by the Russian aggression against Ukraine and other mounting geopolitical tensions, as well as health challenges related to COVID-19, also represent downside risks and could weigh on tourism’s recovery in the months ahead.

The latest UNWTO Confidence Index shows cautious optimism for January-April, higher than the same period in 2022. This optimism is backed by the opening up in Asia and strong spending in 2022 from both traditional and emerging tourism source markets, with France, Germany and Italy, Qatar, India and Saudi Arabia posting solid results.

Muslim Gen Z green their travel plans

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 20 January 2023: Two-thirds of Muslim Gen Z (1) travellers are looking for cultural immersion in their chosen destinations, while nature excursions are prioritised as highly as more conventional “leisure seeking” pursuits, such as shopping and events.

They are also developing financial independence, with 32% paying for trips from their own pockets as opposed to 16%  who rely solely on their parents. The findings come from the inaugural Mastercard-CrescentRating Muslim Gen Z: The Next Generation of Travellers report (2).

(1)

According to the report, the Muslim Gen Z population is actively looking to travel, with 69% planning to take two or more trips in 2023 and 32% wanting to stay at their destinations between one and two weeks.

Environmental enthusiasts

More importantly, almost half of the respondents (45%) identify themselves as environmental enthusiasts. Nearly a third are willing to minimise flying, 11% will pay for carbon offsets, and 14% will take holidays closer to home to avoid long-haul flights. In fact, when it comes to travel spend, they are known as intentional spenders, where 77% of Muslim Gen Z are willing to spend more on sustainable practices such as reducing air travel, participating in voluntourism (or volunteer tourism), and supporting local businesses.

Regarding payment methods overseas, 73% prefer a debit or credit card, while 57% prefer cash.

“Being the first generation born in the digital age, Gen Z travellers are often considered the true digital natives with exposure to the internet, social networks, and mobile devices from a very early age. Gen Z actively redefines what it means to travel. The report presents clear, actionable findings for tourism operators worldwide that can help them to capture this incredibly important demographic,” said CrescentRating and HalalTrip founder & CEO Fazal Bahardeen.

(2)

Muslim Gen Z women also emerged in the study as important decision makers, with over 70% heavily involved in planning for family travel. Almost 70% prefer cultural immersion activities such as experiencing local traditions, heritage, and cuisine. In addition, 63% seek opportunities to learn something new in their travels. This segment is also a driver for change, with 76% indicating social causes to be important in their travel plans.

Faith-based services are also important for Muslim travellers, with Muslim Gen Z identifying Halal food services, prayer facilities, and water-friendly washrooms (3) as “need-to-have” factors when considering destinations.

“We’ve seen that all over the world, consumers are making up for the lost time in travel due to the challenges over the last few years. They enthusiastically want to visit new places and discover new experiences while keeping sustainability top of mind, and this demand will influence consumer choice and spending significantly in 2023. Mastercard is proud of the partnership with CrescentRating in developing relevant research insights that help to build a more complete, nuanced understanding of Muslim travellers,” said Mastercard division president of Southeast Asia Safdar Khan.

This is the 24th report in the Mastercard-CrescentRating Muslim lifestyle reports series. Mastercard and CrescentRating have partnered for nine years to develop insights into Muslim travel that have enabled the travel industry to make more informed and strategic decisions. For past reports, including the annual Global Muslim Travel Index, ASEAN Travel Readiness and Ramadan & Eid Lifestyle, visit https://www.crescentrating.com/halal-muslim-travel-market-reports.html.

The Mastercard-CrescentRating Muslim Gen Z: The Next Generation of Travelers report can be accessed here: https://www.crescentrating.com/halal-muslim-travel-market-reports.htm.                           

1  Born between 1997 and 2012

2  The findings are based on a survey conducted from August 2022 to December 2022 with 550 Muslim Gen Z segments, of which 60% were from Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. The remaining are from Albania, Angola, Anguilla, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Kenya, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

3  Examples of water-friendly facilities include washrooms fitted with water gadgets. For Muslims, water is essential to perform the ablution (ritual cleaning called wudu) to perform their daily acts of worship. The availability of innovative products such as travel bidets, some even collapsible, has made life easier for Muslim Gen Z travellers.

FTE APEX Asia Expo returns to Singapore

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 20 January 2023: FTE APEX Asia Expo is back in the in-person event space, scheduling a return to Singapore from 8 to 9 November 2023 for a B2B event focusing on the region’s airlines and airports.

The event will be held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Singapore.

Photo credit: FTE APEX Asia Expo

The organisers confirmed the theme ‘Preparing for tomorrow’s world’ this week, estimating the two-day event will draw more than 2,000 delegates keen to check out the latest technology and innovations, redefining air transport.

The free-to-attend exhibition will feature interactive workshops, pitch sessions and awards, plus a return to face-to-face networking opportunities.

New features for 2023 include a New Technology Symposium, a Sustainability Forum and the Airline & Airport Innovation Summit.

The exhibition is free to attend for everyone, while airline and airport employees qualify for a free Premium Pass. Vendors can also take advantage of early bird Premium Pass rates.

View all of the registration options here

Tripadvisor names top destinations for 2023

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 20 January 2023: Tripadvisor announced earlier this week its Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Destination Awards for 2023.

Based on reviews from the global travel community, the awards highlight the top-rated spots across six categories: Popular, Trending, Food, Nature, Culture and Ski.

“We saw a resurgence of travel demand in 2022, and the outlook for this year is bright,” said Tripadvisor head of editorial Sarah Firshein. “Long-haul trips have made a comeback, and we’re seeing a lot of travellers excited to plan trips to Asia and the Pacific region for the first time in several years. Cities like Paris and London, which may have taken a backseat to less populous destinations throughout the pandemic, are back on travellers’ minds, while far-reaching parts of the United States like Alaska and previously restricted countries like Cuba are also piquing a lot of interest.”

See the winners across all subcategories here: tripadvisor.co.uk/TravellersChoice-Destinations.

2023 Travel Hot List

Dubai has held the top spot in Tripadvisors’ flagship category, Popular Destinations, to be crowned the most popular destination in the world for a second year running, with Bali climbing back up to the second place for 2023. The popular island destination was also named the most popular destination in Asia this year. India dominates the popular destinations category in a category, taking three of the top 10 spots for the region.

Looking at up-and-coming travel hot spots for 2023, Cuba is the top Trending destination in the world, with the greatest year-over-year growth in interest on Tripadvisor, followed by Hoi An, Vietnam in second place and Mauritius in the third slot. Asia is the top region in this category, taking half the top 10 spots, with Siem Reap, Chiang Mai, Baku and Kathmandu making it into the top 10 trending destinations worldwide.

This year’s winners

While big cities continue to dominate the most popular destinations lists, a new category for 2023 celebrates travellers’ appetite for adventure and the great outdoors.

The best Nature Destinationsprovide inspiration to budding explorers planning bucket list trips, with Mauritius scooping the inaugural top spot for this category and Kathmandu, Nepal, taking second place.

Another new category this year is the Best Places for Culture, looking specifically at reviews highlighting art, history and culture. Fes, Morocco, is No. 1 in the world for culture for 2023. Jaipur, India and Colombo, Sri Lanka, also made it into the top 10 in fifth place and tenth, respectively.

Food is a top priority for travellers, with 58% most excited about what restaurants to visit when it comes to planning a trip, according to Tripadvisor’s latest Travel Index.

The best Food Destinations highlight locales known for their cuisine and burgeoning dining scenes. Rome reigns supreme for foodies taking the top spot in both the world and Europe lists. Hanoi, Vietnam, came in third place as the only Asian destination to make this top 10 world list for 2023.

As the ski season kicks off for 2023, Tripadvisor has unveiled the Best Places to Ski, according to those who hit the slopes last year. With its stunning landscape and down-to-earth mountain culture, Whistler, Canada is the top Ski Destination in the world this year.

Top 10 Popular Destinations in Asia

  1. Bali, Indonesia
  2. New Delhi, India
  3. Phuket, Thailand
  4. Hanoi, Vietnam
  5. Bangkok, Thailand
  6. Jaipur, India
  7. Goa, India
  8. Da Nang, Vietnam
  9. Singapore
  10. Jakarta, Indonesia

(Source: Tripadvisor)

Royal Cliff serves Chinese New Year dinner

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TTR WEEKLY
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PATTAYA, Thailand, 19 January 2023: Royal Cliff Hotels Group Pattaya promotes its Chinese New Year buffet dinner for families celebrating the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit.

The buffet dinner spread includes all the favourite Chinese dishes associated with the Lunar New Year celebrations, such as roasted duck, red bbq pork, crackling pork belly, dim sum, and steamed fish, along with desserts and homemade ice cream.

Date: 22 January 2023
Price: THB 999++ per person

For more information or to book a table, contact:
Tel: 038250421
Line ID: @Royalcliff
Facebook: www.facebook.com/royalcliff
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.royalcliff.com/new/chinese-new-year-buffet-panorama/

(Your Stories: Royal Cliff Hotels Group)

Emirates expands in Europe

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 19 January 2023: Emirates will scale up its A380 operations with the iconic double-decker returning to Glasgow (26 March 2023), Nice (1 June 2023) and Birmingham (1 July 2023).

The airline has also announced it will resume its second daily service to Stansted starting from 1 May 2023, using its wide-body Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with its renowned ‘Game Changer’ First Class product. With the return of the second daily flight to Stansted, Emirates will ramp up its operations to London with 11 daily flights, including six times daily to London Heathrow and three times daily to Gatwick. The airline continues to expand its global network and increase capacity in line with growing travel demand.

Emirates currently deploys its flagship A380 to 40 destinations worldwide. By the end of this summer, the popular aircraft will be serving almost 50 destinations, restoring close to 90% of the airline’s pre-pandemic A380 network.

Emirates is the largest operator of Airbus A380, with more than 80 aircraft currently in active service. The airline launched A380 flights to Birmingham in 2016, followed by Nice in 2017 and Glasgow in 2019.

For more information on flight schedules, visit emirates.com.

The first Emirates A380 to be completely refurbished under the airline’s US$ 2 billion retrofit program was deployed earlier this month on the Dubai-London Heathrow service featuring the Premium Economy cabin and Emirates’ latest cabin interiors, including lighter colour palettes in First and Business Class. The airline also plans to ramp up its four-class A380 operations featuring Premium Economy cabins to more than 35 destinations across 20 countries by March 2024.

Customers love the Emirates A380 for its spacious and comfortable cabins, quietness, and unique onboard features such as the Onboard Lounge and First Class Shower Spa. Customers can also enjoy award-winning inflight entertainment on ice with over 5,000 channels of on-demand entertainment via the industry’s largest screens across all cabins.

Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, Emirates Sales Office or via travel agents.

(Your Stories: Emirates)

Orient Express heads out to sea

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 19 January 2023: 140 years after launching its first luxury trains, the Orient Express continues with the unveiling of the world’s largest sailing ship, Orient Express Silenseas, due to set sail in 2026.

The ambitious undertaking has been made possible through a French partnership between hospitality giant Accor and Chantiers de l’Atlantique, a shipbuilding company.

The 220-metre-long ocean sailing yacht, Orient Express Silenseas, will feature 54 Suites measuring on average 70-square-metres, including a 1,415-square-metre Presidential Suite, two swimming pools, two restaurants and a bar.

A tribute to artists and culture, Orient Express Silenseas will invite guests to experience incredible shows in its Amphitheatre-Cabaret, and a private recording studio will give a voice to the most beautiful melodies. This unique travel experience, guided by the winds, will feature spa treatments, meditation sessions and stopover explorations to discover cultural treasures that allow guests to unplug from reality and stop time completely.

Orient Express Silenseas will sail with a revolutionary technological design known as ‘SolidSail’: three rigid sails with a surface area of 1,500 meters each will be hoisted on a ‘balestron rig’, with three tilting masts reaching more than 100 metres high, able to ensure up to 100% of the propulsion in suitable weather conditions. This hybrid propulsion formula will combine wind power with a state-of-the-art engine running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and plans to use green hydrogen once the technology is approved for ocean passenger ships, launching a new, more environmentally friendly vision of sea travel.

The entire project will be financed up to 70 to 80% by commercial banks, with the remainder provided by Accor and a majority equity partner.

Thai Vietjet links Osaka and Chiang Mai

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 19 January 2023: Thai Vietjet has confirmed that it will commence direct flights between Chiang Mai and Osaka on 16 February 2023, with promotional fares starting from THB3,799.

The airline will deploy an A321 for the new direct service between Chiang Mai and Kansai International Airport, Osaka. Flight time is approximately 5 hours.

According to the airline’s schedule, services will operate three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Thai Vietjet chief executive officer Woranate Laprabang said: “The launch of a direct service between Chiang Mai and Osaka marks another significant milestone for Thai Vietjet. Chiang Mai and Bangkok, and Phuket have long been regarded as one of Thailand’s top tourist destinations.

“We believe our new service will offer opportunities for Thai passengers resident in North Thailand to visit Osaka as well as passengers from Japan, particularly from Osaka, to travel to the beautiful city of Chiang Mai.”

Osaka is the second largest city after Tokyo, located in the Kansai region of Honshu, Japan. The city is well known for its traditional food, shopping areas, districts with neon lights, a famous amusement park, and many more.

Chiang Mai draws visitors from all over the world with its breathtaking mountain scenery and traditional Lanna culture. Tourists can enjoy exquisite Thai Northern cuisine, experience beautiful Lanna traditional culture, and participate in activities ranging from trekking in the jungle to bathing elephants in their camps or the panoramic views captured from mountain peaks.

Thai Vietjet offers promotional fares starting at THB 3,799 (including taxes and fees). Sales are open on the promotional fares until  28 January 2023, with the travel period from 16 February to 31 October 2023 (unavailable on public holidays). 

Apart from the Chiang Mai – Osaka service, Thai Vietjet operates daily direct flights from Bangkok to Fukuoka. 

Flight no.OriginDestinationDepartureArrivalDays of Operation
VZ822Chiang Mai (CNX)Osaka (KIX)23:0006:00Tue/Thu/Sat
VZ823Osaka (KIX)Chiang Mai (CNX)08:3013:05Wed/Fri/Sun
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