December 18, 2008
Bangkok - Low-cost airline AirAsia offered 100,000 free seats to Thailand in its Mai Pen Rai (it’s all right) program to draw back foreign visitors as the new government is taking shape.
Seats can be booked only during December 17-19 and travel period will be between January 6 and March 31, 2009.
Free tickets cover destinations such as Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Jakarta, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Vietnam as well as Thailand.
Free seats however do not include other taxes and fees, according to the budget carrier.
"Thailand is a great place in the world to visit. I am optimistic," the airline's chief executive officer Tony Fernandes told reporters in Bangkok late Tuesday.
People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters seized the Don Muang Airport and Suvarnabhumi Airport at the end of November, and the closure of both airports ended on December 3.
With many stranded foreign tourists, it is forecast the number of tourists is likely to drop by 50 precent next year.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has vowed to boost Thailand’s economy as well as its international image.
AirAsia’s campaign would help attract foreign tourists to Thailand and improve the country’s economy, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
"Thailand is back to normal and the campaign will help us maintain our tourist projections, especially from the Asian region," said TAT governor Pornsiri Manohan.
