Qatar Airways plans to introduce a fifth daily non-stop service from Doha to Bangkok from 1 June, 2017. The increased frequency, along with its double-daily Phuket flights and the five-month-old Krabi operations (four flights a week), will take the number of weekly Qatar Airways departures from Thailand to Doha to 53.

In tandem with its expansion into Thailand, Qatar Airways has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to come together and boost inbound tourism to Thailand.

The MoU was signed by Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer Ehab Amin, in the presence of Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker and TAT’s Deputy Governor for International Marketing, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Americas, Tanes Petsuwan on day one of the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. They were joined by Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand; Chalermsak Suranant, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Dubai and Middle East Office; and other high-ranking executives from both organisations.

Akbar Al Baker said that boosting the Bangkok flight frequency to five daily flights is a significant commitment from Qatar Airways to the Thai market and testament to the strong year-round demand on this route.

Bangkok has long been a hugely popular destination for both business and leisure travellers. The partnership with the Tourism Authority of Thailand allows us to jointly work together to attract more travellers from secondary cities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to experience the warm and gracious hospitality Thailand is renowned for.’

Under the MoU, Qatar Airways together with TAT will put in place joint marketing strategies and practices to increase visibility and tourism to Thailand.

A fifth daily flight to Bangkok will provide seamless connectivity with more flights from some of Thailand’s key tourist source markets in Europe such as the United Kingdom, Italy and also the Middle East. Across the board, there is also continued strong demand for leisure travel on the Bangkok route all year-round.

The new daily flight will be served by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, providing an additional 254 seats per day. Passengers can choose from 22 seats in Business Class and 232 Economy Class seats. Across both cabins, passengers can enjoy up to 3,000 entertainment options on the state-of-the-art Oryx One entertainment system and stay connected throughout their journey, with WiFi being made available.

In addition, passengers travelling to other domestic points in Thailand can connect seamlessly with the Bangkok Airways codeshare flights to Chiang Rai, Udon Thani, Koh Samui, among others.

Thailand’s Tanes Petsuwan said that partnering with Qatar Airways will open up additional access to markets which hold great potential for the Tourism Authority of Thailand and our unique tourism proposition.

With this MoU, our aim is to jointly put in place the best strategies and practices to enhance Thailand’s marketing footprint and position it as a preferred leisure destination offering Unique Thai Local Experiences. Qatar Airways’ fifth daily flight to Bangkok will provide more connections from Thailand’s key source markets in Europe such as United Kingdom, Italy and the Middle East.’

For 2017, TAT has set a target of 34.5 million international visitors and some 1.81 trillion baht (USD 50 billion) in international tourism receipts – this represents a 10% year-on-year increase.

Thailand, one of Qatar Airways’ earliest destinations in the Far East, has grown from strength to strength in the last two decades. Besides the existing three popular Thai destinations, Qatar Airways has also set its sights on Chiang Mai, the largest city in Northern Thailand. To cater to the increase in premium cabin capacity, the award-winning airline will have its very own premium lounge in Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport to provide First and Business Class passengers its acclaimed hospitality while they await their flights.

Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar, is one of the fastest growing airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world. Now in its 20th year of operations, Qatar Airways has a modern fleet of 195 aircraft flying to business and leisure destinations across six continents.

For more information, log on to their website at qatarairways.com.