Thai Air Asia expects lifting of emergency decree to improve tourism

The lifting of the emergency decree should help improve the overall prospect of the Thai tourism, according to Thai Air Asia's director for commercial affairs Santisuk Klongchaiya.
The lifting of the emergency decree should help improve the overallprospect of the Thai tourism, according to Thai Air Asia's director forcommercial affairs Santisuk Klongchaiya.

Santisuk indicated thatrevocation of the special law should lend a boost to the tourismatmosphere during the April high season, when tourists visit the kingdomto enjoy the Songkran celebrations.

He noted that manycountries had earlier issued travel advisories for citizens planning tovisit Thailand , and the political situation had made Thai Air Asia'sload factor fall to 80 percent in the first quarter of 2014, comparedto the 84-85 percent load factor in the same period last year.

The lifting of the Emergency Executive Decree should result in the loadfactor increasing to beyond 80 percent in the second quarter this year,he added.

The company also plans to conduct promotionalactivities in China , Singapore , Hong Kong and Malaysia to pullforeign tourists from these countries back to Thailand . The companyexpects to recover between 10-20 percent of Chinese tourists shortly,according to Santisuk.

Thai Air Asia maintains its whole-year passenger number at 13.3 million, or an average load factor of 84 percent.-VNA

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