THAILAND - Amazing Thai access

TTGasia.com, Jun 15-21, 2007

Increased direct flights to destinations such as Phuket and Koh Samui are offering travel agents from key Asian markets the best opportunities to repackage Thailand.They told TTG Asia while the development might not entirely counter declining arrivals from Asian markets, carriers boosting services to daily flights were having an unexpected positive effect. They are fuelling the creative juices of agents, who have been forced to find new ways to push the kingdom.Hong Kong-based Westminster Travel product manager, Ms Doris Lee, said her company saw increasing demand for Phuket and Koh Samui during this July/August school holidays despite a 10 per cent drop in bookings for Bangkok during the first five months of this year.Another Hong Kong-based agent, Jetour Holiday product manager, Ms Liza Mak, said her company saw a significant increase in direct leisure business to both islands, buoyed by convenient direct air access offered by Dragonair, Orient Thai Airlines and Bangkok Airways. Dragonair operates a daily Hong Kong-Phuket flight using Airbus 321 aircraft with about 150 seats. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket office director, Ms Suwalai Pinpradab, said Dragonair was likely to increase the frequency to two flights daily this year to meet increasing demand.

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