The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) officially welcomed the inaugural flight of Air Arabia, flight G9756 from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, which landed at Krabi International Airport. This new route marks a significant achievement under TAT’s Airline Focus Strategy, which aims to expand Thailand’s accessibility by working closely with international airlines—particularly in the Middle East, one of Thailand’s fastest-growing and highest-spending visitor markets. The new Sharjah–Krabi flight complements Air Arabia’s existing routes to Bangkok and Phuket. The new daily direct service began on 28 November 2025, operated with Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft, offering 174–215 seats per flight and more than 5,220 additional seats per month into Krabi. This expansion is expected to attract more high-spending Middle Eastern travelers and support Thailand’s strategy to grow quality tourism sustainably.
To maximize visibility of the new route, TAT Dubai Office partnered with key stakeholders to host KOLs on a curated Health & Wellness familiarization program in Krabi, showcasing premium tourism products and enhancing destination appeal among Middle Eastern travellers. The Middle East market continues to show strong momentum. Travelers from **GCC countries—UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman—**are known for high purchasing power and strong interest in health & wellness, family travel, and premium leisure experiences, which align closely with Thailand’s strengths.
From 1 January to 23 November 2025, Thailand welcomed more than 728,340 visitors from this region, with an average stay of 10 days and trip expenditure of around 100,000 THB. TAT projects over 850,000 Middle Eastern visitors in 2025, with Air Arabia’s added capacity supporting significant growth.
Beyond improving travel accessibility, the direct Sharjah–Krabi route helps disperse income to local communities—including hotels, restaurants, spas, wellness operators, and tourism businesses—stimulating job creation, investment, and grassroots economic development. This aligns with TAT’s Value over Volume strategy, emphasizing quality tourism and sustainable growth.
The continued expansion of air connectivity also reflects strong confidence from airlines and investors in Thailand’s tourism infrastructure and service standards, reinforcing the country’s commitment to the BCG (Bio-Circular-Green) economic model, which promotes sustainability across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. With enhanced accessibility and rising demand, Thailand further strengthens its position as a premium global destination and an emerging international tourism hub.
