Thai Vietjet, the Thai offshoot of Vietnamese low-cost airline Vietjet Air, is counting down to its latest route expansion linking Bangkok to Taichung and opening up Taiwan's second-largest city to Thai travellers.
Scheduled for launch on Nov 3, the Bangkok-Taichung flight, VZ560, will operate five round-trip flights a week -- Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday -- with the flight taking three hours and 45 minutes.
Taichung is noted for natural spots like Gaomei Wetlands and bustling areas like Fengjia Night Market. Landmark National Taichung Theatre is a point of interest for arts and culture.
Prime conditions
Anantachai Wannaphan, deputy marketing manager of Thai Vietjet Air Joint Stock, has no doubt that the new air link will increase tourist traffic between the two countries and the new route can accommodate 3,600 inbound seats per month.
The new service also targets young people who want to explore new destinations and experience new cultures.
With the visa-free entry policy for Thai tourists and the 2018 Taichung World Flora Exposition, there is no better opportunity to proceed with international expansion, Mr Anantachai said.
Mr Anantachai (left) and Mr Tsao hold promotional placards for the 2018 Taichung World Flora Expo.
"Thais love travelling to Taiwan," he said. "With kind support for the Taiwan Tourism Bureau in Thailand plus visa exemption for Thais travelling there and the upcoming flower expo in Taichung, there are no better reasons to support this new direct route."
Taiwanese people know Thailand well, and with Vietjet group's comprehensive coverage of top destinations in Taiwan, the Bangkok-Taichung route offers more choices for Taiwanese to travel around Asia with the airline, Mr Anantachai said.
He said the airline has a business plan in the pipeline that includes increasing flights to Taiwan. The new route is part of the airline's steps towards the goal of increasing destinations for the enjoyment and convenience of customers.
Thai Vietjet expects the number of passengers to increase more rapidly than in previous years. The airline has carried almost 1.6 million passengers since January and expects to meet the annual target of 2 million passengers by year-end.
With the fleet expansion, the airline expects the number of passengers to increase by 50% next year. Thai Vietjet has six aircraft in service, five Airbus A320s and one A321. Within a week the airline will receive a new A321 aircraft, bringing the total number to seven.
"Taiwanese travelling from Taichung have better choices travelling through Thailand," Mr Anantachai said. "[They can get to] Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Krabi, Phuket and beyond."
Starting today, the airline will also offer a daily flight service connecting Bangkok with Da Nang, a coastal city in central Vietnam.
Thai Vietjet serves a network of flights between Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hai Phong and Dalat in Vietnam, as well as from Chiang Mai and Phuket to Ho Chi Minh City.
Domestically, the budget carrier operates flights from its base at Suvarnabhumi to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket and Krabi, as well as flights between Phuket and Chiang Rai.
Big bet on flora expo
The launch of Bangkok-Taichung service is also expected to bode well for the city of Taichung, which is putting finishing touches on the 2018 Taichung World Flora Exposition before the event opens to the masses on Nov 3.
The expo, which runs from Nov 3 until late April next year, is expected to draw as many as 8 million tourists and generate NT$30.3 billion (32.1 billion baht) for the city, said Chung-Yu Tsao, senior executive officer at the Tourism and Travel Bureau of Taichung's city government.
Targeted markets are mainly Asian territories, including Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau and Thailand. Foreign visitors are expected to tally 2 million at the expo, with 6 million locals.
The city has invested NT$8.6 billion in hosting the world flora expo, and the budget covers landscaping, construction, installation and cost of plants to be showcased throughout the six-month event.
With leopards as the mascot, the event will showcase some 60 million flowers of numerous species.
The expo is spread across three venues in Houli, Fengyuan and Waipu districts, totalling 60.88 hectares (4,375 rai), under the theme of "Discover GNP: Rediscover Green, Nature and People". The theme represents a fresh outlook on GNP, which typically stands for gross national product.
Thai arrivals to jump
Mr Tsao said Thai Vietjet's inaugural flight to Taichung comes at no better time, and the organiser of the flora expo expects to welcome more Thai tourists.
Thai tourist arrivals in Taichung this year are also forecast to grow by 200%, he said. From January to July this year, the number stood at 40,844, which was 27.7% higher than in the same period last year.
In 2017, 54,671 Thai tourists visited the city, an increase from 30,520 in 2016.
On average, the number of foreign visitors to Taichung is 7 million a year, which includes 6 million Chinese people. The population of Taiwan is 23 million.
The city hopes the new direct flying route will bring more Asian tourists to Taiwan and more Taiwanese tourists to Thailand. Brochures in several languages, including Thai, will be distributed to tourists to ensure understanding of Taichung and its attractions.
According to Mr Tsao, a total of 30,000 hotel rooms are ready to welcome visitors to the Taichung World Flora Expo 2018, and more hotels will be opened for the occasion.
He also urged Thai authorities to consider easing visa requirements for Taiwanese visitors to further boost tourist arrivals after Taipei introduced a visa waiver programme for Thai travellers two years ago.
Growing city
Taichung is the second-largest city of Taiwan in terms of population (2.8 million) and the third-biggest city by expanse.
The population of Taichung has been increasing as a result of modernisation and the creation of a transport hub with good roads, high-speed trains and an airport, Mr Tsao said.
Taichung port has several boats that connect to mainland China.
The city hosts monthly festivals, including lantern fests, jazz fests and biking contests, while popular tourists attractions include hot springs in Guguan and the Tong Fong biking route.