The coming high season is looking up for tourism in the provinces as regional airlines start flying into the South and more hotels rooms have been built in the North.
Somchart Pimthanapoonporn, president of the Hat Yai Hotel Association, said yesterday several regional carriers planned to operate into Hat Yai in this year's peak months.
Singapore's Tiger Airways would inaugurate its thrice weekly Singapore-Hat Yai service on November 3, utilising Airbus 320 and Airbus 319 aircraft, he said.
An airline from Indonesia is negotiating with Hat Yai authorities to fly the Hat Yai-Medan route, and
a small local airline, Happy Air, has started connecting Phuket and Hat Yai with a daily flight.
Eakchai Hansuwanchai, director of the Chiang Rai's Tab Tao Tambon Administrative Organisation, said the office has readied hospitality measures, especially at Phucheefah, for the prime tourist season.
Hotels in the area should be able to accommodate about 900 tourists, but the office will prepare two and three camping areas.
The office will also ask operators not overcharge tourists for drinks, transportation, food and other services.
Varathep Kanthadee, president of the Pai Tourism Party, said more than 300 rooms have been added in the area this year, on top of 1,000 last year.
Pai also provides camping areas that are expected to host 5,000 visitors this year. Visitors to Pai would increase from 120,000 in the last high season to 150,000 this year.
"We learned many bad things from last year when operators cheated their customers. We will not allow it to happen again this time by working with local authorities and operators to give tourists quality service," he said.
More than 200,000 visitors are expected to visit Ratchaphruek 2009 in Chiang Mai from November 30-December 10, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Chiang Mai Zoo today is famous for baby panda Lin Ping, whose cute ways attract thousands of tourists a month.