Thailand eyes to open direct flight to Azerbaijan
By Leman Mammadova
Favorable geographical location and tourism infrastructure of Azerbaijan and Thailand open up good opportunities to develop relations in tourism sphere.
Opening of a direct flight between Azerbaijan and Thailand would increase tourist flow to both countries, Srisuda Wanapinyosak, Deputy Governor of Tourism Authority of Thailand for International Marketing Europe, Africa, Middle East and Americas, told Azertag on the sidelines of the “Amazing Thailand Roadshow to CIS 2019” presentation in Baku.
She noted that effective meetings were held with representatives of the Heydar Aliyev International Airport and the Silk Way Travel.
“The issues of the development of Azerbaijani-Thai cooperation in the field of tourism as well as the opening of direct flights to increase the flow of tourists were discussed during the meeting,” Wanapinyosak added.
“Azerbaijan, in particular, the capital, Baku, is beautiful. There is great potential to attract the attention of Thai tourists, to ensure their arrival in Azerbaijan and to familiarize them with the rich culture and history of the country as well as the people,” she said.
Wanapinyosak noted that the Thai people don’t know much about Azerbaijan, adding that the more Thais know about Azerbaijan, the more they will want to come here.
She also emphasized that about 2,000 Azerbaijani tourists visit Thailand every year. Opening of direct flights between Azerbaijan and Thailand will let this number to increase, she said.
“Direct flights between the two countries will simplify travel opportunities for citizens of both countries, which, in turn, will serve as an impetus for increasing the number of tourists in both directions,” Wanapinyosak concluded.
Diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Thailand were established in July 1992. The trade turnover between the countries amounted to $184 million in 2018.
The beautiful nature of Azerbaijan, hospitality of its people, the country's capital with its super modern and ancient buildings draws the attention of all tourists visiting this South Caucasian country. As many as 2.8 million tourists from 196 countries arrived in Azerbaijan in 2018, showing a 5.7 percent increase compared to 2017.
There are many opportunities for tourism in Azerbaijan, including rural, health, environmental, cultural, social, commercial, sport, etc. The successful holding of international events has also turned Azerbaijan into a country recognizable by everyone in the world, and a country that many foreigners wish to visit as soon as possible.
Thailand is a country where more and more tourists choose to spend their holidays because it has many luxurious beaches of the endless ocean and mild climate.
This country is unique in its geographical location. Its shores are washed by the seas of two oceans - the Andaman Sea of the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea of the Pacific. The total coastline of Thailand is over 3,000 km.
Natural attractions such as beaches and mountains, cultural and historical monuments reflecting the splendor of the Thai civilization, as well as the developed infrastructure facilitate the tourism sector development.
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Leman Mammadova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888
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