[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Monday 27 February 2006 :-

Thai travellers heading abroad again : Concern over higherairfares starts to ease

Travel organisations are seeing a rising number of Thais travelling abroad this year after a slight drop last year. At the same time, the proportion of fully independent travellers (FITs) in Thailand is increasing against the reduction of those travelling in large guided groups.

Paweena Roopkhajorn, general manager of Abacus Travel Service Co, said she expected the number of her company's customers to rise at least 10% this year.

Ms Paweena was one of many sellers attending the four-day TTAA International Travel Fair 2006 staged by the Thai Travel Agents Association at BEC Tero Hall, which concluded yesterday.

Last year, Ms Paweena said, business dropped slightly from 2004 due mainly to higher airfares, which included new surcharges that reflected airlines' soaring fuel costs. However, she estimated the drop was less than 10%.

''For those who planned to travel abroad, when the fuel surcharges rose, they postponed their travel plans for some time. But after a while, they began to accept the situation,'' she said.

Europe, Australia and New Zealand remain favourite destinations for Thais for long vacations, according to Ms Paweena. For those with up to four days to spare, the top choice is Hong Kong Disneyland.

She has also noted the rising trend toward more independent travel.

''More and more Thais enjoy travelling in small groups rather than large groups. Abacus has been offering services for independent travellers for more than 14 years and has seen a steady increase of Thai travellers in this group. Last year, the growth rate of travellers in this segment was about 20%,'' she said.

For FIT travellers who want do sight-seeing on their own without tour guides, Ms Paweena said her company offered packages with transport and accommodation at prices cheaper than what independent travellers could get if they made all the reservations on their own.

''Thai tourists love this kind of package now because they can design their own package and it is flexible enough that they can adjust their travel time and destination anytime,'' said Ms Paweena.

Thai travellers are also better informed than in the past, doing more research and reading before their trips, she added.

Exhibitors from the German city of Munich and Tourism New Zealand agreed with Ms Paweena's assessment.

Five years ago, about 80% of Thais travelling to New Zealand travelled in large guided tour groups, and the rest made trips on their own. But now, FITs account for about 40% of all travellers, said Roskamol Vongchowanart, the Tourism New Zealand manager for Thailand.

For Munich, the ratio of group tourists to FITs has declined from 70:30 to 50:50 over the past five years, said Nantana Pitpeeraka of Pacific Leisure (Thailand) Co, which represents the Munich Tourism Office in Bangkok.

''Many travellers don't like to travel with intensive schedules as in the packages offered for most guided tour groups. They love to spend as much time as they like at each destination without worrying about other people in the same group,'' said Ms Nantana.

''The trend reflects the fact that more and more Thais are well-educated. They speak English and are able to manage their own trips,'' added Ms Roskamol.

According to Ms Roskamol, the number of Thais travelling to New Zealand dropped by about 6% last year due to rising airfares. But during the first quarter of this year, the number of Thais applying for New Zealand visas has risen by 10% compared with the first quarter of last year.