International passengers prepare to check in at Suvarnabhumi airport on Feb 27, 2022. (Photo: Bangkok Post)

Bangkok - The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has set a target of attracting at least 1.5 million tourists from short-haul destinations to compensate for the Chinese market by shaking hands with airlines to spur demand.

Thanet Phetsuwan, TAT deputy governor of marketing for Asia and South Pacific, said that the current situation in East Asia has made it impossible to generate demand, unlike more promising markets such as Southeast Asia, South Asia and Australia.

As travel rules in the region are eased and tourists from Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia and Singapore can travel without quarantine on their return, Thailand can gain 800,000 tourists this year from Southeast Asia, Thanet assumed.

Meanwhile, an air travel bubble with India is to become effective as 12 airlines from both countries are ready to operate from this month.

He said Indian travel agents already launched sales and marketing for trips to Thailand. TAT estimated around 500,000 Indian travellers will visit Thailand this year based on 70 percent airline capacity.

“Some 1.5 million tourists from short-haul markets are within our reach, but we still want to have at least 5 million arrivals from overall 10 million this year. However, the target will be revised in the second half after we follow developments in East Asia,” said Thanet.