The tourism sector is gearing up for an inflow of international guests as Chiang Mai Airport prepares to function round-the-clock from November. This transfer is expected to open up the northern area to more worldwide vacationers arriving on direct flights.
Verify , general supervisor of Northern Smile Travel, stated that the typical lodge occupancy fee for September had dipped to 30-35% from 70-80% in August, due to the sluggish interval for tourism. He famous that the Chiang Mai market had tailored to target independent travellers post-pandemic, with a quantity of motels adjusting their strategies to secure higher room charges despite the lowered number of vacationers.
Sittipong, who also based the Hotels in Chiang Mai group, revealed that round 35 boutique resorts located in central Chiang Mai and associated companies had joined forces to reinforce their providers rather than opting for lower costs.
Their major goal markets are predominantly travellers from Asia, particularly these international locations that have direct flight connectivity to Chiang Mai Airport. These guests can also contribute to the revenue of other provinces in the region.
To appeal to these travellers, member hotels of the group have set their room rates at round three,000 baht per night, which could rise to between 5,000-10,000 baht in the course of the peak season, compared to the average market room price of 800-900 baht within the province.
Sittipong mentioned that travellers from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore led the market when it comes to hotel spending. Some unbiased Chinese tourists are undeterred by the slow economic growth in their nation.
The situation has changed from before the pandemic, after we had lots of vacationers, but hotels competed for visitors by chopping their prices.”
From November 1, Chiang Mai Airport is ready to function 24 hours a day, catering to international flights after midnight and early flights before 6am.
Santisuk Klongchaiya, CEO of Thai AirAsia, talked about that the airline is planning to increase worldwide flights to Chiang Mai this year. Presently, Thai AirAsia has eight routes connecting the province to Hong Kong, Macau, Da Nang, Hanoi, Taipei, Singapore, and China’s Hangzhou and Beijing Daxing airports.
Santisuk stated that Chiang Mai has the potential to be an aviation hub connecting Northeast Asia, as it allows short-haul aircraft with decreased flight times to achieve more cities in China, Japan, and South Korea.
Chiang Mai serves as the second hub for Thai AirAsia, with Don Mueang airport being the first. The airline has stationed 5 aircraft at Chiang Mai airport, reported Bangkok Post.
With Thailand recently waiving visa necessities for the Chinese, there could be potential for native carriers to increase flights from Chinese cities to Chiang Mai.
Local carriers at present account for 40% of the total number of seats for China routes, whereas Chinese airways make up the remaining 60% as a end result of their bigger networks in China, Santisuk added.
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