Dubai, UAE
26 Apr 2017
(QR)

Qatar Airways plans to introduce a fifth daily non-stop service from Doha to Bangkok from 1st June 2017.

The increased frequency, along with its double-daily Phuket flights and the five-month-old Krabi operations (four flights a week), will take the number of weekly Qatar Airways departures from Thailand to Doha to 53.

In tandem with its expansion into Thailand, Qatar Airways has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to come together and boost inbound tourism to Thailand.

The MoU was signed by Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer Ehab Amin, in the presence of Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker and TAT’s Deputy Governor for International Marketing, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Americas, Tanes Petsuwan on day one of the Arabian Travel Market taking place in Dubai. They were joined by Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand; Chalermsak Suranant, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Dubai and Middle East Office; and other high-ranking executives from both organisations.

Akbar Al Baker said “Boosting our Bangkok flight frequency to five daily flights is a significant commitment from us to the Thai market and testament to the strong year-round demand on this iconic Far East route. We are delighted to be able to dedicate additional capacity to Thailand, providing even more flexibility and convenience for our passengers travelling to and from the Land of Smiles.

“Bangkok has long been a hugely popular destination for both business and leisure travelers. The partnership with the Tourism Authority of Thailand allows us to jointly work together to attract more travelers from secondary cities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to experience the warm and gracious hospitality Thailand is renowned for.”

Under the MoU, Qatar Airways together with TAT will put in place joint marketing strategies and practices to increase visibility and tourism to Thailand.

The new daily flight will be served by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, providing an additional 254 seats per day. Passengers can choose from 22 seats in Business Class and 232 Economy Class seats. Across both cabins, passengers can enjoy up to 3,000 entertainment options on the state-of-the-art Oryx One entertainment system and stay connected throughout their journey with WiFi being made available.

For 2017, TAT has set a target of 34.5 million international visitors and some 1.81 trillion baht (USD 50 billion) in international tourism receipts – this represents a 10 per cent year-on-year increase.