Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International Airport will expand its facilities to serve up to 3.7 million passengers in 2030.
The board of directors of Airports of Thailand, which owns and manages the Chiang Rai airport, approved a 15-year development plan (2016-2030) worth 6.2 billion baht.
The budget will be spent on renovating and expanding passenger terminal, building a new cargo terminal, improving taxiway and runway, increasing aircraft parking bays and expanding the road inside the airport from two to four lanes.
When completed, the airport will be able to handle 25,500 flights a year and 10,000 tonnes of cargo.
It is estimated that the total numbers of passengers this year will increase about 20% from 1.5 million last year to 1.8 million this year and will reach 3.63 million in the next 15 years.
Amazing contest launched
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has launched "Amazing Dream Journey" online contest to offer foreigners packages of a lifetime in Thailand.
"Everyone has their own idea of a dream holiday and Thailand has variety of attractions for everyone. So we want to hear what people's fantasy itineraries are," said TAT Governor Yuthasak Supason.
Participants must be foreigners living either in Thailand or abroad. They must apply in a team of two persons. Each team is required to write down a three-day itinerary based on one of the six following themes. They are the Royal Project Culinary, Luxurious Honeymoon, Well-being Trail (relating to health and wellness), Life on the Green (about golf trips), Splendid Yacht (about cruising) and Extravagant Eco Shell (for back-to-nature trips).
The winning team of each theme will get two tickets to visit the Kingdom and live out their dream holiday based on their selected topic.
The last day for application submission is Nov 30, with winners being announced on Dec 20.
Visit www.tourismthailand.org/amazingstories.
Airlines update
AirAsia has offered Asean Paralympic gold medallists a lifetime of free flights.
"These para-athletes prove that there is no limit to the human spirit, no obstacle to achieving our dreams that we cannot overcome with focus, determination and hard work. They are an inspiration to the region and to the world," said AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes.
The airline also provided silver and bronze medal winners five and three years free tickets, respectively.
The Asean medallists are given a special AirAsia BIG card in gold, silver and bronze that allows them to fly to any of the more than 120 destinations within AirAsia and AirAsia X in Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Africa.
Visit www.airasia.com.
Taiwanese-based low-cost airline V Air ended operations on Oct 1 and merged to its parent company TransAsia Airways. Its service from Taipei to Chiang Mai is now offered by TransAsia Airways.
TransAsia Airways chairman Vincent Lin said the merging would speed up the company's restructuring process.
V Air flew its first flight from Taipei to Bangkok in December 2014 before adding another route from Taipei to Chiang Mai. The airline flew nine routes in total to Thailand and carried over 580,000 passengers with load factors above 77%. The Taipei-Bangkok flight is no longer available, leaving only the Taipei-Chiang Mai route. The service is available three flights a week.
Visit www.tna.com.tw/en.
Hotels update
Riva Arun Bangkok hotel has been added to SilverNeedle Hospitality, the boutique collection of luxury properties.
Located on Maha Rat Road on the west bank of Chao Phraya River, the hotel features 25 rooms and suites with sizes ranging from 22-73m², a rooftop restaurant, café and open-air bar.
The SilverNeedle Collection comprises Riva Surya Bangkok, Riva Arun Bangkok, 137 Pillars House Chiang Mai and Kirdara Luang Prabang.
Visit www.snhotels.com/snc/rivaarun.
Six Senses Samui has launched "Farm On The Hill" project to produce organic food for its guests.
The farm could daily produce organic eggs, goat's milk and vegetables. The hotel also tries to make use of its unwanted materials in the farm such as using old toilet bowls for planting. It also opens the farm as a learning centre for its guests and local people.
"Farm On The Hill started as a small home-grown initiative to support our commitment to sustainability in the resort and our operations, yet in a short time it has grown into a positive example of what can be done with strong conviction and minimal funds," said the hotel general manager Gary Henden.
The project has inspired the team and the local community to have their own organic garden at home, he noted.
Visit www.sixsenses.com/resorts/samui/destination.
Email karnjanak@bangkokpost.co.th if you have any comments to share.
