Hua Hin Airport upgrade key to year-round tourism

Hua Hin Airport upgrade seen as key to making city a year-round international destination

Hua Hin’s long-running push for international flights is now being tied to a wider plan to reposition the city as a year-round destination, rather than one reliant mainly on weekend visitors and domestic tourism.

Speaking to Hua Hin Today after the Market Insights and Customer Insights Workshop on 3 July, Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said the development of Hua Hin Airport was now being considered alongside wider tourism planning for the city.

She said the workshop marked an important collaboration between the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, TAT and Thai AirAsia, with discussions focused on passenger demand, market potential and what Hua Hin needs to offer future visitors.

“Today marks a highly significant collaboration between the Ministry of Transport, which is the key ministry responsible for bringing in tourists through all modes of transportation, and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, which plays a crucial role in driving travel and attracting tourists from all corners of the world,” Ms Thapanee told Hua Hin Today.

“Today, Thai AirAsia is joining forces with TAT to discover customer insights, demands and the ultimate goals of all stakeholders, whether they are tourists, business operators or government agencies involved in the tourism industry, in order to promote Hua Hin.”

Ms Thapanee said one of the clearest signs from the workshop was the renewed push to reopen Hua Hin Airport to international services.

“A very positive sign today is that we will be opening up international transportation routes at Hua Hin Airport,” she said. “We previously had operational flights here, and today the Deputy Minister of Transport has confirmed that we are ready to reopen for international flights to come in.”

She said flights alone would not be enough, and Hua Hin would need to develop tourism products that give visitors a reason to return.

“However, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, through TAT, must also prepare the products we will offer to tourists. We need to build confidence and develop products that will make tourists want to return,” she said.

Ms Thapanee said TAT is also working to promote Hua Hin as a “365-day travel destination” for domestic travellers, with more activities, festivals, food, local products and cultural events spread throughout the year.

“At the same time, for domestic tourists, TAT has laid out a policy to promote Hua Hin as a 365-day travel destination,” she said. “To achieve this, there must be various activities throughout the year that highlight Hua Hin’s charm.”

She said local business operators had also raised the possibility of bringing more international events to Hua Hin, which would require cooperation between TAT, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the Ministry of Transport.

Malaysia likely to be first market

Ms Thapanee said Malaysia was likely to be the first market for the return of international flights, with AirAsia expected to play a key role.

“Regarding these inbound international flights, we have received excellent cooperation from AirAsia, which will bring in tourists, likely starting with Malaysia as the first market,” Ms Thapanee said.

Thai AirAsia Chief Executive Officer Phairat Pornpathananangoon told Hua Hin Today the airline sees strong potential in Hua Hin, particularly for family travel, sustainable tourism and sports tourism.

“As for Thai AirAsia, as I mentioned in the press conference today, we clearly see the potential of Hua Hin,” Mr Phairat said. “Whether it’s for sustainable tourism, family vacations or sports tourism, Hua Hin truly has it all.”

Mr Phairat said Thai AirAsia previously operated an international route between Malaysia and Hua Hin, which was later suspended. The airline is now reviewing when it could resume the service.

“We actually opened a route from Malaysia to Hua Hin in the past, which was later paused,” he said. “Currently, we are revisiting this to see when we can restart the operations.”

He said the timing would depend on both airport readiness and the market data being prepared by TAT.

“This depends on both the readiness of the airport and the active efforts of TAT, who are intensively doing their homework and preparing necessary data,” Mr Phairat said. “If the opportunity arises, we definitely want to return and provide international flight services to Hua Hin once again.”

Short-haul markets identified for first phase

The initial target markets discussed at the workshop include Malaysia, Singapore, Shanghai and Taiwan. Ms Thapanee said Taiwan could also be used to attract long-haul travellers who connect through the island before continuing to Hua Hin.

“During the initial phase of the flight launches, we will focus on short-haul markets, which include Singapore, Malaysia, Shanghai and Taiwan,” she said. “For Taiwan, we will also extend our marketing to super long-haul travellers who fly to Taiwan and make a stopover here in Hua Hin.”

Mr Phairat said AirAsia would like to be the first airline to launch international services to Hua Hin if the airport and market conditions are ready.

“If possible, we would like to be the first to launch,” he said. “If we can successfully bring in international flights, Hua Hin is undoubtedly a destination that everyone wants to visit.”

Chiang Mai flights to increase later this year

Thai AirAsia currently operates four flights per week between Chiang Mai and Hua Hin. Mr Phairat said the airline plans to increase the service to seven flights per week in the fourth quarter of this year.

He said other domestic routes were also under study.

“Domestically, we still operate the Chiang Mai-Hua Hin route with four flights per week, and we will be increasing this to seven flights per week in the fourth quarter of this year,” he said. “Additionally, other domestic routes are currently under study. We are assessing whether it’s feasible to launch flights from other locations as well.”

Asked about Hua Hin Airport’s wider catchment area, including neighbouring provinces such as Phetchaburi and Ratchaburi, Mr Phairat said AirAsia considers surrounding areas whenever it assesses a destination.

“Whenever we evaluate a landing destination, we also look at its catchment area,” he said. “That means we analyse where else we can expand to from that specific landing point.”

He said AirAsia’s “Fly and Drive” model, which allows passengers to land and rent a car to travel onwards, could also support Hua Hin Airport’s role as a gateway for the upper south.

“For instance, we have a programme called Fly and Drive, which allows passengers to land and rent a car to drive to nearby areas,” Mr Phairat said. “Honestly, Hua Hin already perfectly serves the needs of the upper southern region.”

Road and rail links to support airport growth

Ms Thapanee said Hua Hin’s future as a tourism destination would not depend only on air travel. Improvements to road and rail links were also expected to support growth, particularly once the Rama II Road works are completed and rail development moves forward.

“We have talked about airlines, but Hua Hin also holds great potential in terms of rail and road travel,” Ms Thapanee said. “The Rama II Road construction is nearing completion this year.”

She added that rail leasing concessions being considered by the Ministry of Transport, the Department of Rail Transport and the State Railway of Thailand could bring new investment, including luxury rail services aimed at higher-spending visitors.

“TAT is currently doing our homework to effectively cater to all groups, including investors, tourists and local business operators here,” she said.

The comments from TAT and Thai AirAsia underline how the airport upgrade is now being linked to a wider tourism strategy for Hua Hin, with international flights, domestic connections, road access and rail travel all seen as part of the city’s future development.