State mulls free flights in sandbox
State mulls free flights in sandbox
BANGKOK: The Tourism and Sports Ministry is considering offering free cross-provincial flights for foreign tourists after airline workers are approved for COVID-19 inoculation this week.
Friday 2 April 2021, 09:11AM
Cabin crew walk past a statue wearing a face mask at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok during the pandemic. Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul / Bangkok Post
“From July 1, inoculated tourists exempt from quarantine might be tempted to extend their stay here after spending 10 days in Phuket if we can provide them free or discounted air tickets to other provinces,” said Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, reported the
Ministry considers free flights Cabin crew walk past a statue wearing a face mask at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok during the pandemic. Photo by Wichan Charoenkiatpakul
The Tourism and Sports Ministry is considering offering free domestic flights for foreign tourists after airline workers are approved for Covid-19 jabs. From July 1, inoculated tourists exempt from quarantine might be tempted to extend their stay here after spending 10 days in Phuket if we can provide them free or discounted air tickets to other provinces, said Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn.
He said the ministry already discussed the plan with Bangkok Airways, the owner and operator of Samui airport.
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By Greg Waldron2021-04-01T11:09:00+01:00
Bangkok Airways Airline chief executive Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth makes no bones about how challenging Covid-19 has been for the full-service carrier, whose strategy had relied on supporting international carriers by flying codeshare passengers to Thailand’s myriad tourism destinations.
“2020 was very, very tough… something that we’ve never been through before,” he says. “Of course there are crises from time to time, such as SARS… but [Covid-19] has probably hit everyone in the world.”
Source: Bangkok Airways
Bangkok Airways chief executive Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth
Thailand government statistics show that the country’s international travel restrictions have eliminated a once thriving foreign tourism market. In December 2020, the country had 6,556 tourist arrivals, a 99.8% decline from 3.9 million in December 2019. Starting in April 2020 – a month that experienced zero tourist arrivals – monthly tourism statis
Jabs rollout revs up amid tourism hope bangkokpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bangkokpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.