Etihad Airways and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) have formed a long-term strategic partnership to develop and promote quality tourism experiences in the country for travellers from the Gulf region.

Under the new agreement, the Abu Dhabi-based airline and TAT will put into effect a range of joint promotions to mutually increase tourism and visibility for Thailand through Etihad Airway’s global network.

The promotions will focus on niche tourism markets such as sport tourism, luxury tourism as well as health and wellness.

Amina Taher, vice president brand, marketing and sponsorship, Etihad Airways, said: “We’re pleased to continue our partnership with Tourism Authority Thailand to showcase this beautiful destination to the world.

“This is particularly important as the tourism industry recovers and Thailand develops its niche tourism offering.

“We’ve been working together for more than six years on joint marketing campaigns, and we’ll continue to leverage our network to support this long-term strategic partnership.”

Thailand is now open to fully vaccinated foreign visitors from an approved list of 63 countries including UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait.

They can enter without quarantine requirements from November 1st.

Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT governor, said: “This letter of intent will pave the way for strategic tourism collaboration efforts between TAT and the Etihad Airways with an emphasis on revenue-generating quality tourists.

“We expect this partnership to help strengthen the position of Thailand as a popular destination for Arab travellers from the gulf region.”
Tourism plays a pivotal role in Thailand’s national economic and social development.

In 2019, Thailand welcomed more than 39 million visitors from overseas, including 702,000 visitors from the Middle East with more than 130,000 emirati, maintaining the importance of UAE as the number one tourism source market from the gulf region.