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Mr. Arnuphap Kittikul, General Manager Norway of Thai Airways talks to TravelDailyNews Asia-Pacific about the dynamic of the Norwegian market for Thailand’s tourism and the development plans of Thai in Norway.
We met Mr. Arnuphap Kittikul, General Manager Norway of Thai Airways at the Ambassador’s residence in Oslo during the pre-WTM roadshow that the Tourism Authority of Thailand organized and we had the opportunity to discuss with him the dynamics of the Norwegian market for Thailand’s tourism.
TravelDailyNews: Mr Arnuphap, how many flights Thai Airways have between Norway and Thailand per week and what are your plans for the future?
Arnuphap Kittikul: Thai Airways operates 7 Flights a week in Winter Schedule (25 Oct -26 March) and 5 Flights a week in Summer Schedule (27 March-24 Oct) between Oslo and Bangkok with the state of the art 777-300ER (42 Business Class and 306 Economy Class). Our future plan is to make the Oslo route daily services all year round.
TDN: What is the traffic between the two countries throughout the year?
A.K.: Around 130,000 Norwegians visit Thailand yearly. Strongest months are June-July (summer Holidays), Mar-Apr (Easter & Thai Songkran), and Dec-Feb (Winter Holidays and winter in Norway where Norwegians escape to search for sun/sea/sand in Thailand) Breakdown of Market segments are: 50 % FITS 30% Groups and 20% Business.
TDN: What products and services Thai Airways presents to the Norwegian market and what are you preparing for the new season?
A.K.: Thai Airways operates the Oslo route with the all-new 777-300ER (42 Business Class and 306 Economy Class). This is one of the newest and best fleet in THAI with Lie-Flat Business Class 180 degree seats and one of the most spacious economy class seat at 32 inches Pitch and 18 inches Width.
TDN: What is the potential of the Norwegian market for Thailand?
A.K.: Given that Norway’s population is only 6 Million, Thai Airways is very profitable in the Oslo Route not only in terms of passengers but also Cargo revenue with exports of Salmon and seafood and oil machinery from Norway.
Norwegian tourists are also “quality” tourists with higher average spending per trip than their Scandinavian counterparts. More importantly, Norwegians love Thailand and Thai people, making Thailand ranks amongst the top 5 travel destinations from Oslo and the number one Asian Destination out of Oslo.
There are also around 15,000 Thais living in Norway, which makes this VFR segment very important to Thai Airways.
TDN: Which are the most popular connections (local and regional) for Norwegians?
A.K.: The most popular connections domestically are Phuket, Samui, Krabi respectively. For regional, destinations such as Singapore, Manila, Myanmar, Vietnam, and India are all popular with great connectivity through Bangkok Hub.
Photo: Mr. Arnuphap Kittikul among Thai Airways staff in Oslo at TAT’s table-top meetings with Norwegian buyers
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
