Low-cost carriers are dramatically expanding their network of flights across the Mekong region, encouraging record numbers of Southeast Asian tourists to explore neighboring countries.
Thailand's top budget airline, Thai AirAsia, plans to double its flights from Bangkok to Hanoi and Phnom Penh next month, while adding Shenzhen as its third destination in China.
Air Bagan, Myanmar's largest private carrier, launched its first international flight last month linking Bangkok with Yangon.
PHOTO: AFP
Deals are also in the works for direct flights between Cambodia's Angkor temple town of Siem Reap and Myanmar's top tourist spots Bagan and Mandalay.
"Low-cost carriers bring ever more city-pairs into the equation," aided by relaxed aviation rules among major Southeast Asian capitals, said John Koldowski, spokesman for the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in Bangkok.
As people in the region see their disposable incomes grow steadily, many are proving willing to splash out on travel, especially for affordable destinations within the region, Koldowski said.
Thai visitors to Cambodia soared 38 percent in the first four months of the year, while the number of Vietnamese travellers jumped 70 percent, according to Cambodia's tourism ministry.
Cambodian Tourism minister Thong Khon said travellers from the two countries are helping to boost the nation's tourism industry.
Overall arrivals to Cambodia had grown by 20 percent year-on-year to more than 710,000 as of April. PATA expects the trend to continue in the coming years.
The number of Thai tourists to Cambodia is expected to jump 34 percent over the next two years to 85,400, while visitors to Myanmar are seen rising by 13 percent to 48,400 over that period, PATA says.
Vietnam is also more popular, with arrivals from Thailand expected to jump 17 percent to 126,000 in two years.
In Myanmar, Thais are the top foreign visitors, but many use land crossings as well as flights.
"We hope more tourists will be coming this year as we extend flight connections to international destinations," an official from Myanmar's tourism official said.
For Thais, the increased desire to travel is all the more remarkable because of the economic slowdown at home.
Soraya Srimit, 31, from Bangkok is heading to Hanoi next month on holiday despite her concerns about the economy.
"I thought I should keep that money for a rainy day, because the economy is unlikely to recover until early next year," Soraya said.
"But I found an attractive package from AirAsia, and I really wanted to taste authentic Vietnamese cuisine in Hanoi," she said.
Political turmoil in Thailand has led to almost monthly downgrades in the nation's economic forecasts. The downturn has hurt Jakara Samarnthae's construction business, but he still plans to visit Hanoi later this year.
"A low-cost air fare will make my first overseas trip possible," the 63-year-old said.
The number of Thais travelling overseas rose 20 percent last year to 3.3 million, and their favorite destinations were Vietnam, Laos and China, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
"With airlines, especially budget carriers, expanding their route networks, countries in the region ... have become more accessible to each other," said Juthaporn Rern-gronasa, TAT's deputy governor for international marketing.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
AFTERMATH: The Taipei City Government said it received 39 minor incident reports including gas leaks, water leaks and outages, and a damaged traffic signal A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Taiwan’s northeastern coast late on Saturday, producing only two major aftershocks as of yesterday noon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The limited aftershocks contrast with last year’s major earthquake in Hualien County, as Saturday’s earthquake occurred at a greater depth in a subduction zone. Saturday’s earthquake struck at 11:05pm, with its hypocenter about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km. Shaking was felt in 17 administrative regions north of Tainan and in eastern Taiwan, reaching intensity level 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier seismic scale, the CWA said. In Hualien, the
RSS