THAI AIRWAYS International plans to resume flying to Russia and the United States as part of its plan to boost revenue after seeing cheerful results in the final quarter of last year. The national airline will also help its budget carrier Nok Air, which has called mass cancellations of flights while sorting out internal problems. THAI president Charamporn Jotikasthira said yesterday that the company has no plan to sell its stake in Nok Air, despite the issues besetting the budget airline. Moscow will be added back to the schedule in October - the beginning of the high season for Thailand's tourism industry.

Starting from December 2015, Thailand plans to issue multiple entry tourist visas for a period of six months or a year, the publication of Asia One said referring to the statement of the new Minister of Tourism of the country. Today, Russian citizens do not need visas to Thailand, if the visit is for the tourism purposes and stay in the country lasts not more than 30 days. For longer visits travelers need to get a visa in a Thai consulate in Russia.

State Airport Company of Thailand plans to run a free shuttle bus from the airport to the popular beaches of Phuket, the web site "News of Phuket" said on Friday. It is expected that passengers will be free to use the bus service by presenting a valid boarding pass for the plane. Recently three routes for the shuttle service are developed. The first one will connect the airport and Bang Tao, Kamala, Patong and Karon. The second shuttle will go through Bang Ku, Chalong and Rawai, the third - through Bang Ku, Phuket Town and Sapa Hin.

The high season in Thailand is almost over, and although there are at least two months ahead, DMC’s already consider the season as one of the most difficult in their history. The thing is that not only the tourists’ flow, but also the purchasing power of tourists have decreased because of devaluation of the ruble. It was especially noted in Pattaya, traditionally attractive for budget travelers.

Thailand expects the inflow of Russian tourists to increase over the current year, reports the Head of the Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT), Mr. Tawatchai Arunyik. According to his data, the Russian market showed a downturn last year: the country had been visited by 1.6 million Russian tourists, which is an 8% year-on-year drop. "Despite economic problems in Russia, we are going to continue our promotional activities without changes.

Azur Air has announced the expansion of its route network in the 2019/2020 autumn-winter schedule, including from Russian regions. The carrier will also increase the intensity of flights to its traditional destinations.