Immigration control at Suvarnabhumi Airport

THAILAND’s decision to double the price of visas on-arrival next month has come as a shock but should bring long-term benefits, industry figures say.

The 15-day visa-on-arrival fee will rise from 1,000 to 2,000 baht (US$28.8 to US$57.6) on September 27, affecting tourists from 19 countries including major markets China and India. This makes the 60-day advance visas, which costs about 1,000 baht in India and 1,200 baht in China, the more affordable choice.

Oriental Events and Leisure founder and CEO Kritidech Srabua said the announcement came as a surprise and it would take tourists time to adjust. But on balance the move was “fair”, he said.

“It’s a bit shocking for the tourists. But compared to the value that tourists will get from coming to Thailand, it’s not that bad,” said Kritidech, whose company has a strong presence in India.

“And it’s comparable to the visa fees that other countries charge.”

Standard Tour manager Kevin Gromkaewngarm said with visas in-advance now “slightly cheaper”, tourists would be encouraged to plan ahead, with fewer delays expected on landing.

“It’s quite reasonable,” said Kevin, whose company handles many Chinese visitors to Chiang Mai. “There will be shorter queues, down to about 10-15 minutes.”

EXO Travel said delays of up to two hours with the visa-on-arrival process had hindered tours in the past.

“Some operators now ask their travellers to get a visa before departure at the Thai embassy in order to avoid those delays. The new regulation will eventually favour less price-conscious visitors to use this facility,” said a EXO Travel spokesman.

“In the end we are expecting rather positive outcomes from this decision that could help to regulate some markets that were somehow growing too fast.”

TRAFALGAR is offering deep discounts on 2017 European tour packages sold by agents this year.

Agents can sell to clients at current 2016 prices and are offered an additional 10 per cent off for reservations made before October 9 and paid for by February 28, 2017.

For returning clients, Trafalgar is extending an additional 5 per cent discount on next year’s land trips. When booking two or more trips of seven days or longer together, a further 2.5 per cent price cut is offered.

Those who lock in reservations by October 9 with a US$200 deposit can also be assured of a lower price. In the event 2017 prices turn out to be cheaper, agents get refunded the difference.

Trafalgar is currently offering 81 guided tours, including 32 CostSaver trips, to 31 countries, via this Preview 2017 deal. The sale period ends on October 9.

CATERING to the soaring appetite for travel to Japan among Singaporeans, Chan Brothers

Travel has opened a retail front specialising only in Japanese products.

The new Japan Travel Centre is located within Chan Brothers Travel Powerhouse, the agency’s headquarters and biggest retail operation in Singapore.

According to the agency, Singaporean travel to Japan has seen a year-on-year growth of 20 per cent in the first half of 2016. And while the yen is gradually strengthening, exchange rates are still relatively favourable against the Singapore dollar.

Celebrating the launch of Japan Travel Centre, Chan Brothers is offering a three-day sale from August 26-28 featuring a range of packages.

The opening sale includes benefits such as 50 per cent off for the second traveller, up to S$1,844 (US$1,366) discounts per couple and free flights for children.

Other bonuses with any booking include a free goody bag worth S$68 comprising Japanese Niigata rice cube air flown from Japan, lavender cosmetics, and more.

A SENIOR SriLankan Airlines captain risks losing his licence after he failed a breathalyzer test last week just before take-off of a flight to Colombo from Frankfurt.

As a result, the struggling national carrier was forced to delay the flight by 15 hours on August 19 until a replacement pilot was found. The passengers were provided hotel accommodation and food by the airline until the flight eventually took off the next day.

The airline, which is currently seeking a foreign managing partner, apologised to passengers and said the chief pilot, captain U.B. Ranaweera, a Sri Lankan national, has been suspended pending an inquiry.

On August 23, director general of civil aviation H.M.C. Nimalasiri wrote to the errant pilot for a response within seven days as to why his licence should not be revoked.

This is the second instance when a SriLankan Airlines pilot had failed a breathalyzer test, the first being nearly a decade ago.

On that occasion, the pilot was let off with a warning as he had not reached dangerous alcohol levels according to Sri Lankan standards, though the level was above prescribed limits in the breathalyzer test carried out in a foreign airport.

Frankfurt is among a few European destinations that SriLankan Airlines is pulling out at the end of this year’s winter season in a bid to trim losses and sever unprofitable routes.

Turkish Airlines, Hainan Airlines, All Nippon Airways and Garuda Airlines are among 10 foreign parties that have expressed interest in the national carrier. Bids for offers close at the end of the month.

Narita International Airport

A POWERFUL storm has made landfall in Hokkaido, triggering warnings of floods, landslides and waves in Japan’s northernmost prefecture.

Before hitting Hokkaido’s southern coast around 06.00 today, the storm was downgraded from a typhoon by weather authorities.

Seperately, Typhoon Mindulle travelled through Japan’s northeastern prefectures, including Iwate on Monday night, having damaged Tokyo and grounding hundreds of flights that afternoon.

Over 400 domestic services to and from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport were cancelled. Meanwhile, Narita International Airport, located further afield from Tokyo, cancelled 88 international and 34 domestic flights.

Narita’s control tower was temporarily closed as wind speeds soared. The airport runway also shut down, suspending all operations for about an hour.

Express trains halted services temporarily as well although most commuter services continued operating normally.

Some reports place casualty numbers at two so far. This is the first typhoon to directly hit Japan’s capital city in 11 years.

THE GDP of the global travel industry is predicted to continue to register strong growth despite the surge in terror attacks and headwinds coming from macroeconomic factors.

Latest updates from the WTTC’s Economic Impact Reports 2016 shows that the travel sector is set to grow by 3.1 per cent this year, outpacing global economic growth forecast at 2.3 per cent.

Regionally, the outlook for South Asia will be the strongest at 5.9 per cent growth, driven mainly by India’s economic prospects.

North-east Asia is expected to experience solid growth too at 4.7 per cent, stimulated by China growing at 6.3 per cent, while South-east Asia is set to follow closely behind with 4 per cent growth.

Meanwhile, North America is predicted to grow at a moderate 3.1 per cent and Europe by 2.2 per cent. Latin America will be the worst performer, with an anticipated decline of 0.9 per cent because of declines in Brazil post-Olympics.

The growth expected in Asia comes as some European destinations become less attractive to international visitors.

In France, the sector’s direct contribution to GDP is still growing, but the forecast has been reduced from 2.9 per cent to 1.1 per cent, due to macroeconomic downgrades in other European countries, and compounded by recent terror-related atrocities.

In Turkey, growth in travel and tourism’s direct contribution to GDP has been reduced further from negative 0.2 per cent to negative 3.2 per cent, due to the spate of terror attacks, the diplomatic dispute with Russia, the failed coup, and proximity to the Syrian conflict.

“Our update report highlights the resilience of travellers and the robustness of our sector, as tourism continues to outpace global economic growth by nearly one per cent,” said David Scowsill, president and CEO of WTTC.

“Whilst we should not downplay the impact of incidents or turmoil at the individual country level, on a macroeconomic level, we continue to register strong growth.”