Airlines all across the globe have struggled to meet the challenge of steeply rising fuel costs and a sagging global economy. Even so, Phuket remains such a strong draw for tourists that Thai Airways and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced last month the return of direct flights from Japan. Expected to carry around 300 people on each of two flights per week, the nonstops will help to boost tourism numbers during a green season negatively impacted by world and national events.

Thai Airways discontinued the Japan-to-Phuket direct flight in the wake of the December 2004 tsunami, but rising demand convinced the airline that the time is right to resume the service. The TAT estimates that more than 115,000 tourists from Japan visited Phuket last year. Suwalai Pinpradup, director of the agency’s local office, says the new direct flight may increase that number by 10 percent for 2008.

“The TAT fully supports the Japanese market,” she says. “On 31 July we will have a new group of tourists from Japan coming to travel in Phuket. It’s a group of soldiers, officer candidates — a quality group. TAT cooperated with business owners such as hotels, spas and Phuket FantaSea, to make discounts for the group and give them a special welcome so they go home with good impressions that will help us to increase tourism from Japan.
“Other than that, we’re arranging many activities to support the Japanese market, such the walk-and-run race in Kata, which had good feedback from Japanese tourists,” Khun Suwalai says. “This is the third time that we’re supporting tourist activities in the rainy season, and we believe that these activities will attract Japanese tourists to Phuket.”

Chantouch Sreenintha, Thai Airways district sales manager for Phuket, explains that the airline brought 80,000 tourists to Phuket during 2008. The new direct flights, which will use 309-seat Boeing 777-200 aircraft, will carry up to 40,000 tourists to Phuket each year. After landing in Phuket, the aircraft will continue to Bangkok, which is a popular secondary destination for many Japanese holiday-makers in Phuket who want a few days of big-city shopping before returning home.

“The opening day for this flight is during the high season for Japan,” Khun Sreenintha says. “Japan is in the summer holiday period during July, so many people have plans to travel. It’s low season in Phuket, and we’re supporting low season. The reason why Thai Airways and the TAT have started this direct flight from Japan to Phuket is to bring profit to Phuket tourism.”

Though other direct flights operate from Seoul, Hong Kong and cities throughout Southeast Asia, the Thai Airways flight will be the only one operating from Japan. The first one will land on 17 July carrying some 300 passengers and media representatives. Suwalai explains that some Japanese tourists come as independent travellers, but most are expected to be on package tours.

“The TAT and several tour business cooperated since the beginning of this year to support Thai Airways on returning direct service,” she says. “But Thai Airways had some problems in management relations with Phuket International Airport, which hasn’t been able to support more tourist arrivals. Then, the airport announced that it was ready to support more tourists from Japan, so the time is suitable to bring back the Japan-Phuket direct flight.”

Korea, in particular, has enough demand to support more direct flights, Suwalai added. However, high fuel prices have made airlines reluctant to increase service. Some long-haul carriers have cut flights from Europe and the UK. Bangkok’s The Nation newspaper reports that that the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) thinks tourist arrivals to Thailand during 2008 will miss a target of 15.7 million by 12 percent. The ATTA notes that some carriers, including Thai Airways, have cancelled long-haul service to Thailand as a result.

Fuel prices have affected domestic carriers servicing Phuket. Bangkok Airways Director Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth estimates that during the next three months the company may lose money as fuel prices consume 35-36 percent of the airline’s investment budget. That would mark the first time the company posted a loss during 15 years of operation, and management continues to meet regularly to assess the impact of fuel prices.

Suawalai remains optimistic about prospects for the coming high season, though cautious about the long-term future.

“Even though there are more direct fights from Japan, the impact will only be during the rainy season,” she says. “Japanese tourists usually come to Phuket in the June to September rainy reason. The cancellation of long-haul flights will affect Phuket during the high season.

“The number of tourists in 2008 may still be more than 2007, but if fuel costs continue to increase, we think that in 2009 fewer tourists will come to Thailand and Phuket,” Suawalai adds. “This problem affects not only Thailand. Every country has this problem.”