TAT WELCOMES SHENZHEN AIRLINES FROM SOUTH CHINA

TAT WELCOMES SHENZHEN AIRLINES FROM SOUTH CHINA

The Thai tourism industry will mark the arrival of Shenzhen Airlines on 1 April, 2009, opening up another route on the growing aviation sector between Thailand and China. Mr. Sansern Ngaorungsi, Executive Director of the East Asia Region, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), and the Golden Lion will be on hand to welcome the inaugural flight.

Shenzhen Airlines will fly the Shenzhen-Bangkok route three times a week using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. It also plans to operate a twice-weekly Shenzhen – Phuket route as of 1 May 2009.

Established in 1992, Shenzhen Airlines is the fifth Chinese-based airline to operate scheduled services to over 123 destinations, both domestic and international. It also flies to Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, Osaka, Seoul, Singapore, Jakarta, and Macau. With a total population of 12 million, Shenzhen is China’s largest special economic zone and an international transportation hub.

Deputy Governor for International Marketing of Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mr. Santichai Euachongprasit, said “It is a pleasure to have another airline providing services between Thailand and South China. We estimate that this direct flight will bring 20,000 more Chinese visitors to Thailand per year and generate 500 million baht in tourism revenue.” He added, “Thailand is well known amongst Chinese visitors for its diverse and beautiful locations where they can enjoy the rich culture and cuisine, as well as high standards of service. Moreover, Thailand is recognised as a value-for -money destination and our geographical proximity to China gives us a major advantage in terms of flight accessibility.”

As of April 2009, 12 scheduled airlines are operating a total of 111 direct flights between China and Thailand. In 2008, China was the fifth largest generator of tourists for Thailand after Malaysia, Japan, Korea and United Kingdom. Chinese visitor arrivals to Thailand totalled 826,131.

Contact information:
International Public Relation Division
Tourism Authority of Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4545-48
Fax: +66 (0) 2253 7419
E-mail: prdiv3@tat.or.th
Web site: www.tatnews.org

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