วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 4 มิถุนายน พ.ศ. 2558

U-Tapao to Be Developed as a Commercial Airport

5 June 2015

U-Tapao – Rayong – Pattaya International Airport, commonly known as U-Tapao Airport, will be developed as a commercial airport, linking with Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang international airports.
U-Tapao is located in Ban Chang district, Rayong province. It is about 140 kilometers southeast of Bangkok and about a 45-minute drive from Pattaya.
Transport Minister Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong and Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy Admiral Kraisorn Chansuwanich on 3 June 2015 signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on the development of U-Tapao Airport. The project came after Head of the National Council for Peace and Order General Prayut Chan-o-cha on 29 July 2014 instructed the Ministry of Transport and the Royal Thai Navy to cooperate in seeking ways to develop U-Tapao as Bangkok’s third commercial airport.
The development project also involves the construction of an "airport link,” connecting Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, and U-Tapao with the city of Bangkok in order to cope with the growing air traffic in the future.
The Ministry of Transport and the Royal Thai Navy began to discuss the project in December 2014, and later, they decided to upgrade U-Tapao, under the concept of "One Airport, Two Missions.” According to the MOC, they will work together in infrastructure development and business planning, under the management of the airport by the Royal Thai Navy.
The development of U-Tapao Airport is divided into three phases. In the first phase, to be carried out from 2015 to 2017, a new passenger terminal will be constructed together with other facilities. With the new building and the existing passenger terminal, the airport will have the capacity to accommodate three million passengers a year. Construction of the second passenger terminal will be completed in 2016.
If the numbers of flights and passengers increase significantly beyond expectation, Airports of Thailand Public Company and Thai International Airways will offer a helping hand in terms of ground services, if requested by the Royal Thai Navy.
Various relevant agencies have also been urged to develop the cluster of eastern provinces into a major tourist destination, so that more passengers will use services at U-Tapao Airport.
The second phase will be implemented from 2018 to 2020 to prepare for accommodating five million passengers a year. The third phase will be implemented from 2020 onwards. It will involve the development of landside and airside, as well as other facilities to enhance the airport's potential, so that it will be able to cope with aviation growth in the future.

After the signing of the MOC, two working groups will be formed to carry out the project, starting from June 2015 onwards.

Bangkok on the List of Top Global City Destinations

5 June 2015

For the second year in a row, Bangkok is predicted to be the world’s second top destination and the number one in Asia-Pacific.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) quoted the newly-released MasterCard Global Destinations Cities Index that 18.24 million visitors are expected to spend time in the Thai capital in 2015. London ranked top city for the world with 18.82 million visitors.
The TAT Acting Governor and Deputy Governor for International Marketing, Mrs. Juthaporn Rerngronasa, said that Thailand is seeing a strong recovery in all tourist markets. She thanked all concerned parties and stakeholders for their tireless efforts in building and reiterating the image of Bangkok, Thailand’s main gateway, as one of the world’s most popular tourist cities that is complete with both modern conveniences and old charms.
The MasterCard Global Destinations Cities Index provides a ranking of the 132 most visited cities from around the world, in terms of international overnight visitor arrivals and spending. On the global scale for 2015, Paris ranked third with 16.06 million visitors, Dubai came fourth with 14.26 million visitors, and Istanbul was in fifth place with 12.56 million visitors.
When compared with other destination cities in Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok retained its position at number one, followed by Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, and Hong Kong. This ranking has remained unchanged since 2013 when the Thai capital became the first Asian city to top the global list.
In terms of spending, Bangkok ranked seventh in the world and third in Asia-Pacific, with US$12.36 billion projected in international visitor expenditure for 2015.
Mrs. Juthaporn said, "This ranking as well as a number of awards and honors that Thailand and various Thai destinations, including Bangkok, have received so far this year will certainly motivate us to work harder to welcome tourists.
"Under our 2015 Discover Thainess campaign, we hope to share with all our international guests the Thai way of happiness through the various aspects of Thainess; such as, Thai food, Thai arts, Thai wellness, and Thai festivities.”

Thailand expects to welcome a total of 28 million visitors generating an estimated US$ 42 billion (1.4 trillion baht) in 2015.