Some airlines keep Phuket capacity as Middle East-Thailand seats drop sharply
Middle East-Thailand air seat capacity fell 33.7% in May, but some airlines maintained Phuket services, which TAT says reflects continued demand from long-stay and luxury travellers.
Monthly seat capacity on routes between the Middle East and Thailand fell 33.7% in May from the level seen before the Gulf war, but some airlines kept Phuket services at the same level or cut them less sharply than Bangkok routes, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
With 14 airlines operating flights to Thailand, total seat capacity stood at 199,595 in May, down from 300,902 prior to the conflict. Emirates reduced seats from Dubai to Bangkok by 20% while maintaining traffic to Phuket at the same level.
Qatar Airways reduced capacity on the Doha-Bangkok route by 50% and on the Doha-Phuket route by 33%. Etihad cut capacity on the Abu Dhabi-Phuket route by 30% while maintaining the same level for Bangkok.
Chiravadee Khunsub, TAT deputy governor for Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas, said the pattern suggested Thailand continued to attract strong demand from long-stay tourists and the luxury market in Phuket.
She said the US-Iran conflict could escalate again in the short term, prompting most tourists from the region to delay bookings until 7-14 days before departure. Even so, she said pent-up demand remained substantial, citing 1.21 million tourism-related searches in May.
According to the Tourism Ministry, Thailand recorded 103,053 arrivals from the Middle East in the first four months of the year, down 32% from a year earlier.
TAT is targeting June to August for recovery efforts during the two-month school break. Its Dubai office is preparing campaigns with airlines and online travel agents to secure bookings from the region, while also shifting attention to high-potential markets such as Saudi Arabia.
Uraiwan Thaipakdee, vice-president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, said Middle Eastern tourists were still booking trips during the school holidays in July and August, though some were seeking cheaper hotels to offset high airfares and were paying closer attention to cancellation policies after mass flight cancellations during the early weeks of the war.
