Improving air traffic at Thailand's main airports is a priority task underlined by a joint committee wanting to facilitate growing tourism.
There have been a number of requests from airlines and tourists to increase slot times to cope with heavy traffic at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket and Chiang Mai airports, said Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, who also chairs the committee for the development of transport networks connecting tourism destinations.
To fix the problem, Mr Phiphat said the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand will apply the International Air Transport Association's Worldwide Slot Guideline rules to manage traffic at airports and set penalties for airlines that breach the rules.
At the same time, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is going to create marketing campaigns for tourists to visit emerging destinations to reduce traffic at major airports, he said.
Those provinces with airport facilities are Chiang Rai, Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, Khon Kaen, Hat Yai, Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat.
In addition, Mr Phiphat will seek the cabinet's approval for a possible reduction in the excise tax on jet fuel to help lower operating costs for airlines that operate domestic flights. This move will hopefully lead to cheaper airfares and encourage Thais to travel more domestically, he said.
For road transport, Mr Phiphat said the Land Transport Department is working with Malaysian authorities to open a cross-border tourism bus project.
Thailand already operates such projects with Laos and Cambodia to facilitate tourists from both countries.
Marine tourism is another crucial segment with about 400,000 visitors who travel on cruises each year.
The number is limited because of insufficient cruise terminals, according to the Marine Department.
Department executives told participants at a meeting on Tuesday it is working on a new cruise terminal project in Koh Samui, Surat Thani.
The department is also looking at other locations in the upper Gulf of Thailand or Andaman Sea that could offer 14-metre-deep terminals.
Meanwhile, the Marine and Coastal Resources Department reports the Thai Riviera development project has shown improvement with road construction spanning 380 kilometres, with 100km remaining, projected to be finished in 2021.
With all these projects, improved arrival numbers from China and the government's stimulus strategy, Mr Phiphat said he is confident the number of foreign tourist arrivals will reach 40.5-41 million this year, outpacing the earlier target of 39.8 million.
Thailand welcomed 26.5 million international tourists in the first eight months this year, up by 2.6%, contributing 1.29 trillion baht in income, up 3.04% year-on-year.
For 2020, some 41.8 million foreign visitors are projected for 2.2 trillion baht tourism revenue.
