TAT claims Loei is trendy

LOEI  Tourism Authority of Thailand says new tourist attractions and more flights will boost tourism to this northeast province.
Thai AirAsia is due to start flights to Loei in February and by March Nok Air will add capacity by using a Boeing 737-800 instead of the ATR 72.
TAT Loei office director, Yupa Panrod, told TTR Weekly that Loei is a trendy destination for Thai tourists almost on par with two other northeast destinations, Khon Kaen and Udon Thani.
inside no 1However, Loei is still considered a secondary destination mainly because of the lack of airline services (only Nok Air serves the destination from Bangkok). The destination’s travel products are mainly related to nature, mountains and quant riverside towns. Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in North Thailand are more popular cool-season destinations.
TAT wants to promote Loei as a year-round destination, but the task is difficult as there are not enough airline services. The climate is very attractive, November to February, followed by high temperatures through the remainder of the year.
The TAT director commented: “One of the strategies is to promote new attractions to make Loei an alternative choice for tourists.”
New attractions include a climb to Phu Pa Por mountain, where tourists can take a 360 degree panoramic photos over a sea of mist.
“Phu Bo Bid also a good place to take photos…Pak Chom district ia part of a scenic route along Mekong River to Nong Khai…this place is good for pleasant walks along the river.”
Those attractions will encourage repeat visitors to visit the province and stay longer, she said adding that 90% of tourists spend just over night in the province with two days of sightseeing.
Besides promoting new attractions, the upcoming Thai AirAsia’s two daily flights will help to boost the province’s tourism.
The service will start 8 February. The first flight will depart Bangkok (Don Mueang Airport) at 1015 and arrive in Loei at 1120. The second flight will depart Bangkok at 1620 and land at Loei 1725.
Thai AirAsia service will add options for travellers to fly to the province besides the two daily services by Nok Air. Starting 1 March, Nok Air will upgrade to a Boeing 737-800, which can carry 189 passengers instead of the 66-seat ATR72-500 and 86-seat Q400.
On average, the province tourism records a growth of 15% to 20% attracting around 1.5 million tourist arrivals and THB2,200 million a year, according to the director.
In 2013, there were 1,774,609 tourist arrivals to the province increasing 8.28% from 1,638,926 visits in 2012. Of that, 1,738,634 were Thais (+8.57% from 1,601,389) and 35,975 (-4.16% from 37,537).
Revenue generated through tourism was THB2,883.372 million (+18.17% from THB2,440.012 million). Of that, THB2,796.768 million was generated by Thais (+9.95% from THB2,543.676 million) and THB86.604 million from foreigners (-10.10% from THB96.336 million).
On average, tourists spent THB974.16 per day in 2013 up 10.00% from THB885.56 in 2012.
There are 5,284 rooms in the province with 2,042 rooms in the provincial town followed by Chiang Khan (1,165 rooms), Phu Ruea (776), Dan Sai (386), Nong Hin (122) and other districts (793).

sourced:ttrweekly.com