THAILAND. King Power International Group and Dior today celebrated the soft opening of the French fashion house’s new boutique at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok.
“The store is very inviting,” King Power International Chief Merchandising Officer Antares Cheng told The Moodie Davitt Report.
The 150sq m boutique is the latest in a flurry of luxury brand stores to be introduced at the Bangkok gateway in recent weeks.
As reported, King Power also opened a 200sq m Gucci store (below) on 24 June. It features an all-digital facade and is the first in the world – travel retail or local market – to feature the new Gucci design.
Both openings underline growing confidence in the recovery of the long-battered Thai tourism and travel retail sectors. King Power International also recently introduced fellow luxury brands Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Cartier.
Effective today (1 July), rules of entry into Thailand have been eased considerably due to the scrapping of the Thailand Pass requirement (a mandatory pre-travel registration) and the related US$10,000 health insurance demanded of visitors.
Vaccinated travellers arriving by air now simply have to undergo entry screening, including a body temperature check, and present the required vaccination documents to the Immigration/Health Control officer.
Optimism for return of Chinese travellers
The timing of the openings also anticipates a return of the all-important Chinese tourism sector some time in coming months.
In an important development, China is now allowing Thai carriers permission to resume two flights to China per week. Earlier this week China’s State Council announced that it will reduce international quarantine days to ‘7+3’ (seven days in a dedicated quarantine facility and three days of home monitoring) from the long-standing ‘14+7’ requirement.
The Bangkok Post today quoted Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) Vice-President Vichit Prakobgosol saying that the loosening of restrictions is the most positive sign in over two years.
The report noted that the Thai tourism confidence index in the second quarter was 53, almost half the tally of 100 from pre-pandemic 2019, when tourism was booming.
TCT President Chamnan Srisawat said that the council’s 2022 target is 12 million foreign arrivals amid improving confidence nationwide. The Q2 score of 53 compares with just 11 for the same quarter last year.
