Bangkok Airways is pursuing further expansion in secondary Vietnamese markets with the launch of a direct route from Bangkok to Vietnam's central coastal town of Cam Ranh.
The airline began offering new flights last week with four flights a week -- Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday -- on a 144-seat Airbus A319 aircraft.
The new service is the airline's fourth route connecting Vietnam, after Bangkok to Da Nang and Phu Quoc, and Chiang Mai to Hanoi.
Varong Israsena Na Ayudhya, vice-president of sales at Bangkok Airways, said the flight to Cam Ranh taps a high-potential route that is not served by any other airline.
Mr Varong said Bangkok Airways is not focused on larger routes such as Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, which already have intense competition from several airlines, but instead wants to connect Bangkok with niche, secondary leisure destinations.
"Cam Ranh is situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam and has become one of the most desired beach holiday destinations for upscale Vietnamese and European tourists," he said. "The area has experienced rapid growth in visitors every year."
According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Cam Ranh and other cities in Vietnam's Khanh Hoa province attracted 6.3 million tourists last year, and 6.8 million tourists are predicted to visit the province this year.
Mr Varong said the government is trying to put Cam Ranh on the world map by offering a 15-day visa-free policy for tourists from England, France, Spain, Italy and Germany, and a 14- to 90-day free visa for tourists from Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Chile.
"Cam Ranh is also very close to Nha Trang city, which has become one of the most popular tourism destinations for European and Vietnamese travellers," he said.
Mr Varong said connecting passenger traffic from Bangkok Airways' extensive pool of code-sharing airline partners is expected to boost the Bangkok-Cam Ranh flight's popularity.
"Having a link to Cam Ranh will make it easier for those passengers travelling aboard our code-share partner airlines from around the world to connect to Dalat and Mui Ne, then on to Ho Chi Minh City," he said.
Mr Varong said that if the new route proves popular the airline may offer more daily Bangkok-Danang flights, up from four days a week at present.
The airline plans to add two more routes, Chiang Mai-Luang Prabang and Chiang Mai-Krabi, by April this year, he said, and has long-term plans for a route from Thailand to Myeik and Dawei in southeastern Myanmar.