More than 450,000 travellers will going by way of the turnstiles at Bangkok’s primary airport Suvarnabhumi between January 26 and February 7, including the annual Chinese New Year celebrations. But they’re not all from overseas, indeed the bulk, some 349,000 travellers, are domestic.
The airport’s GM stories that 115,931 worldwide travellers shall be travelling via BKK in the course of the 14 day period. Up-sell ’s a 37% bounce in flights when in comparability with the same time final year. Whilst the uptick of travellers is a welcome shot in the arm for Thailand’s tourist business, pre-Covid the numbers of international travellers would have averaged 1,523,000 arrivals over any 2 week interval in 2019.
Out of the 10 airways making use of for added landing spots over this year’s Chinese New Year celebrations interval, the highest 3 are Bangkok Airways with 14 further flights, Myanmar Airways with eight and T’Way Airlines another 8. TWay Airline is the third largest South Korean low-cost provider.
The one market lacking in this year’s Chinese New Year arrivals is the Chinese. With current return quarantine necessities in China of between 21 and 58 days, only a few Chinese are travelling right now, although there might be plenty of Chinese domestic travel over the Chinese New Year vacation.
And even the noisy Yowarat Road CNY festivities have again been muted this 12 months with ceremonies, gatherings and festivals cancelled in Bangkok’s Chinatown (but you possibly can wager there will nonetheless be a few dragons and fireworks becoming a member of in to welcome the Year of the Tiger).
Right in the midst of the annual Chinese New Year journey surge will be the reintroduction of the Test & Go re-entry journey program. With the most recent model, being launched on February 1, travellers will be required to take 2 checks, 1 on the first day after which one other on Day 5. The newest Test & Go additionally requires the pre-pre-payment of a Day 1 and Day 5 SHA+ hotel reserving.
The problem for Thailand’s tourism companies shall be to keep the move of international tourists arriving beyond the Chinese New Year rush, because the 12 months moves into the quieter vacationer months.
Without the sturdy Chinese vacationer numbers, and delicate international travel sentiment, international arrivals in Thailand are anticipated to stay similarly quiet for the rest of 2022. But, with native south east Asian tourism rivals starting to reopen, with fewer restrictions, native tourism operators are hoping the CCSA will shortly relax restrictions and quarantine requirements in Thailand over the subsequent few months to stay competitive.
Chinese New Year is on February 1 this yr. Happy Year of the Tiger!