TAT sees hope in winter flight prospects

The 1-million target set for the Middle East and African markets this year remains challenging due to geopolitical conflicts, but Thailand still has opportunities from new flight openings this winter, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

- MOLPASORN SHOOWONG

Hatsanai Chaisri, marketing manager for the Middle East and Africa at TAT's Dubai office, said growth in the Middle East market has been slow, particularly among family groups and first-time visitors.

They are hesitant to travel abroad due to geopolitical uncertainty in the region, as well as the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, which took place in June, even though it ended with a ceasefire, said Mr Hatsanai.

He said the agency expects travel momentum to rebound in August, which aligns with the school break for summer — a high season for the market.

TAT Dubai is responsible for marketing in 13 Middle East and nine African markets, mostly in North Africa, along with South Africa.

Prior to the 12-day war, arrivals from the market had strongly increased since the beginning of the year, but growth has weakened with a year-on-year increase of roughly 2%.

As of July 27, the markets under the TAT Dubai office tallied 497,697, growing 2.22% year-on-year.