Good times, bad times

For most of us, the Year of the Horse has cantered past with unseemly speed but for the tourism industry, and especially Thai tourism, it’s barely gathered enough steam to merit a trot. Much of that, of course, can be blamed on the political uprisings in Bangkok and upcountry earlier in the year and the subsequent coup and imposition of martial law. And while life goes on much as usual for the majority of those living in the Land of Smiles, tourists are still staying away. 

Our capital city also appears to be losing its charm and magic. Bangkok had championed Travel + Leisure’s World Best Cities for three consecutive years since 2011 but failed to make it into the Top 10 Best Cities in the magazine’s latest survey. 

Proof of that demise lies in the numbers of international tourist arrivals to Thailand in 2014. 

East Asian tourists – who are “hypersensitive” to the situation – have avoided visiting Thailand this year. That means we missed more than 580,000 Chinese tourists, 246,000 Japanese and 150,000 from South Korea – and we still have another week to go.

In an attempt to woo more Chinese tourists and reverse the slump, the military junta waived visa fees for Chinese and Taiwanese from August to October. It helped but not to the extent the authorities had hoped.

European tourists, however, are more adventurous than Asian folk. While many Chinese and Koreans changed their plans to visit Thailand due to the political situation, the Europeans continued to arrive. Admittedly most of them were young travellers and backpackers rather than the big spenders. They don’t care much about demonstrations or martial law provided the sun is shining, the sea is blue, there’s plenty of cheap beer at the ubiquitous 7-Elevens and lots of inexpensive pad thai and other Thai dishes on the streets. 

Like Thai tourists, they were surprised when the junta ordered a “beach clean-up” along the coast from Hua Hin in Prachuab Khiri Khan to Patong in Phuket. “Trespassers” – meaning everyone from masseurs to those renting out daybeds and umbrellas – were removed, giving the public beaches back to the people.

More than 4.8 million Europeans made it to Thailand between January and October, up from 4.7 million over the same period last year. 

But not all is rosy on the tourist front.

According to Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the total number of international tourist arrivals topped 19.7 million by October, a staggering three-per-cent down on the 21.6 million during the same period last year.

About 26.7 million international tourists visited Thailand in 2013, a figure that’s unlikely to be reached this year.

For the airlines, 2014 has been a busy year though not everyone has benefitted.

Unsurprisingly the most active airline has been the low-cost carrier AirAsia, which earlier in the year introduced direct flights from Bangkok to Asia’s three most popular destinations – Tokyo, Osaka and Seoul. The budget flight on a brand-new Airbus A330-300 quickly had the premium airlines feeling the heat. Thai Airways International, which operates between Bangkok and Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka, has run a string of tempting promotions. But while a return ticket on the national carrier is going for B16,395 to any Japanese destination, AirAsia’s ticket on the Bangkok-Tokyo route costs just Bt8,000 if you book now to travel in May. 

And so the battle in the sky continues. 

In addition to these South Korean and Japanese routes, AirAsia is also operating more domestic and regional flights – Chiang Mai to Surat Thani and Krabi to Guangzhou in China to name just two. Little wonder that the airline came home with the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline Award for 2014.

Bangkok Airways also experienced a positive 2014. Billed as the “boutique airline” for its special and luxurious treats, the airline won “World’s Best Regional Airline” and “Best Regional Airline in Asia” at the recent Skytrax Awards. The airline has also made Chiang Mai its second base and offers direct flights between Chiang Mai and Phuket, Chiang Mai and Udon Thani and Chiang Mai and Mandalay.

Like Bangkok Airways and AirAsia, Nok Air added more colour to the sky by introducing four Bombardier Q400 NexGen aircraft to its fleet. Seating up to 86 passengers, this Canadian-made turboprop doesn’t need a long runway and Nok Air plans to approach less-frequented provinces with small airstrips like Nan, Lampang and Phrae. The airline is also aiming to provide more competition on regional routes and beyond and has placed an order for 15 craft in the Boeing B737 family.

The most disheartening news of the year came from Malaysia Airlines, which cut many of its flights following the disappearance of flight MH370 on March 8 and the downing of MH17 over eastern Ukraine on July 17.

Unlike the airlines, the country’s hotels have kept a low profile in 2014, though despite the quiet, there has been some movement on the home front.

The Regent Group continued to look to the future by opening the Regent Cha-Am Hospitality School (RHS) in Phetchaburi province. Aleenta Phuket Resort & Spa launched The Edge restaurant to offer locals and visitors a world-class gourmet experience and Jahn, the award-winning restaurant of the Conrad Koh Samui Resort & Spa, introduced Thailand’s Black Ivory Elephant Coffee to its guests. The coffee itself is created through a process whereby the coffee beans are naturally refined by Thai elephants at the Golden Elephant Triangle Foundation in Chiang Rai province.

Bikes – motorised and pedal – also came to the fore in 2014.

Many motorbike enthusiasts had fun exploring Thailand on such big beasts as the BMW K1200 and Ducati Monster, while those who prefer to move under their own steam were delighted when the State Railway of Thailand introduced a Bike Train Carriage for group trips over the weekend. The carriage is available for rent (Bt4,350- Bt8,370), and boasts bicycle racks and seats for 30 passengers travelling with their bikes. Many airlines are now cyclist-friendly too. Bangkok Airways, for example, is letting cyclists load their bikes for free until March and Suvarnabhumi Airport is encouraging biking thanks to a cycling track around its perimeter.

And with the Asean Economic Community getting underway next year, opening the door to a potential 600 million people to travel freely around member countries, international bus routes have been introduced connecting Bangkok to Phnom Penh in Cambodia and to Luang Prabang in Laos. 

However, with an increasing number of people able to access cheap travel, annoying incidents have become par for the course and are likely to continue.

The latest occurred earlier this month when a Chinese woman threw a cup of hot water at an AirAsia flight attendant on a flight from Bangkok for Nanjing. Apparently, the honeymooner was furious at not being seated to her husband. While sympathetic passengers offered to move to accommodate the couple, the dispute quickly turned into insults and threats. Sympathy soon gave way to fury, not least on the part of the other Chinese passengers on the flight, as the AirAsia captain turned the plane round and returned to Bangkok. 

As we enter the Year of the Goat, we cannot help wonder what 2015 will have in store. In the meantime, welcome to the Land of Smiles!