Thailand travel is hampered by inflation and rising fuel costs

In comparison to life prior to the pandemic, only 30% of international flights land in The Land of Smiles, according to Governor Yuthasak Supasorn of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The TAT and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports have been praising the quick recovery of Thai tourism, but they are now acknowledging the difficulties faced by foreign visitors, which are beyond the control of Thai officials. By the end of 2022, Thailand expects the upcoming peak season to bring in up to 10 million visitors, but fewer international aircraft are arriving due to inflation and rising fuel expenses. Travelers from China and Russia will be hard to find for the remainder of 2022 at the very least. Additionally, there are issues with flights being canceled or experiencing significant delays in both Europe and the US.


At least 55 percent of foreign flights should be the target, and this may be feasible after Air Canada and Korean Air confirm their nonstop travel schedules. They point to rising fuel prices as the reason of greater operational costs, and longer flights as a result of detours made to escape the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.


“Tourists confront higher travel expenditures, mainly due to inflation and airfares, which have climbed by 20–40 percent,” said the statement. The TAT is collaborating with both scheduled and charter airlines to launch joint promotions that will help defray those expenses.


Air Canada intends to operate its first direct connection between Vancouver and Bangkok with four flights per week from December through April 2023 using Boeing 787 aircraft. Korean Air assured the TAT during a recent trip to Seoul that it will resume flights to Thailand in the fourth quarter. According to many airline firms, there are several global difficulties hurting their revenue and ability to increase frequency of flights, thus they are hesitant to add more routes or expand the number of flights.