BANGKOK, Dec. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Eight international airlines have launched new direct flights in 2024 to Thailand's four main MICE Cities, Bangkok-Phuket-Pattaya-Chiang Mai, while three more airlines are scheduled to offer direct flights in 2025.
The year 2024-2025 marks another milestone for Thailand as a preferred MICE destination when four Thai MICE Cities: Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Pattaya are welcoming more overseas flights from Europe, Central Asia, Sub-Continent, East Asia and the Middle East.
Bangkok is experiencing enhanced connectivity with the European market. On October 28, British Airways resumed direct flights between London and Bangkok, starting from 3 flights a week to 5 flights a week in January and February next year and 4 flights in March in the same year.
ITA Airways has also operated direct flights between Rome and Bangkok, starting on November 17 with five flights per week. On December 1, Thai Airways International (TG) started to resume direct flights between Bangkok and Brussels. Norse Atlantic Airways is scheduled to operate direct flights between Stockholm and Bangkok, starting on October 29, 2025.
Phuket island is also welcoming new flights in 2024. Air India started to operate its second daily flight (except Wednesday) from Delhi to Phuket on June 1, while Air India Express will start its four flight a week direct from Surat to Phuket on December 24.
A new market for Phuket, Kazakhstan, is also tapping the island. On October 26, Air Astana started to operate direct flight from Astana to Phuket. Likewise, Saudia Airlines began its inaugural Riyadh-Phuket flight on December 2 and Jeddah-Phuket flight on December 4.
Going up north to Chiang Mai, the city welcomed direct flight of Hong Kong Airline on October 27, making it the third airline operating direct flights between Chiang Mai and Hong Kong. The other two are Thai Air Asia and Hong Kong Express. On November 4, 2025, Etihad Airways is scheduled to operate 4 flights a week direct from Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai.
On March 30 next year, U-Ta Pao airport near Pattaya will welcome 5 flights a week between March and May flying direct from Irkutsk and operated by S7 Airlines.
As TCEB is promoting diverse MICE Cities/destinations, we feel heartened with the increased flight connectivity between our MICE Cities and diverse overseas markets, whether they are key markets, long-haul markets or emerging markets. It is a living proof of Thailand' status as a preferred destination for travelers from around the globe. The four MICE Cities are prime destinations of Thailand where TCEB is always working with the cities' stakeholders to develop and craft new products to cater to new requirements of MICE planners and travelers, while Phuket and Chiang Mai are our targets where fast-track immigration lane will be provided, apart from the existing ones in Bangkok, stated Mr. Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, President of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).
For more information, contact TCEB at: pr@tceb.or.th
Thailand MICE – Meet the Magic
About TCEB
A LEADING AGENCY AT THE FOREFRONT OF THAILAND'S MICE INDUSTRY
Established in 2004, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (Public Organization) or TCEB – the government agency under the supervision of the Prime Minister – has been assigned a role to promote, support and develop business events industry – corporate meetings, incentive trips, conventions, exhibitions, mega events and world festivals. Serving as a strategic partner, TCEB helps deliver creative ideas and solutions to bring success and fulfill the requirements of business events. The overarching goal is to drive Thailand to become a global MICE and mega events destination that can drive the country's strategic industries and national economy.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
11 International Airlines Operate New Direct Flights to Thailand's MICE Cities
ALULA, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the official opening of Desert X AlUla 2026, the landmark fourth edition of the international, open-air biennial exhibition. Arts AlUla, in collaboration with Desert X, welcomes visitors to experience a stellar line-up of Saudi and international multi-generational artists whose site-responsive earthworks, sculptures, and installations will engage in a powerful dialogue with the awe-inspiring landscapes and layered heritage of AlUla.
As a premier destination rich in ancient history and breathtaking nature, AlUla, located in Northwest Saudi Arabia, solidifies its position on the global stage as a dynamic, emerging land art destination with Desert X AlUla, the region's first public art biennale, and a key highlight of the AlUla Arts Festival.
The 2026 edition of Desert X AlUla brings together 11 acclaimed artists whose diverse works reflect a wide spectrum of ideas, materials, and traditions. From monumental kinetic sculpture to sound-based explorations above and below ground, each commission is deeply rooted in relationships to AlUla's distinctive environment, further cementing Desert X AlUla's reputation as a globally significant platform for site-responsive land art.
Desert X AlUla runs until February 28, 2026, as a cornerstone of the annual AlUla Arts Festival. Curated by Wejdan Reda, Zoé Whitley, with artistic direction by Neville Wakefield, and Raneem Farsi, its fourth edition explores 'Space Without Measure.' Inspired by Kahlil Gibran, the theme fosters contemplation of imagination within AlUla's natural settings. The exhibition, set in the desert canyons of AlUla, serves as a pre-opening programme for Wadi AlFann, offering a pivotal glimpse into AlUla's plans to create a permanent land art 'Valley of the Arts.'
Hamad Alhomiedan, Director of Arts & Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), said: "At Desert X AlUla 2026, audiences will engage with art that deeply converses with AlUla's unique landscapes and rich heritage. These compelling commissions highlight AlUla's dynamic transformation into a major global destination, where ancient and contemporary expressions converge. This exhibition is part of our broader revitalisation of AlUla as a culturally rich destination to live, work and visit and integral to positioning AlUla in the global dialogue of contemporary art and as a precursor to monumental projects like Wadi AlFann."
Participating artist/artworks are:
- Sara Abdu, A Kingdom Where No One Dies: Contours of Resonance
- Mohammad Alfaraj, What was the Question Again?
- Mohammed AlSaleem, The Thorn, AlShuruf Unit, The Triangles, Flower Bud, and Al Ahilla (courtesy of Royal Commission for Riyadh City)
- Tarek Atoui, The Water Song
- Bahraini-Danish, Bloom
- Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Imole Red
- Agnes Denes, The Living Pyramid
- Ibrahim El-Salahi, Haraza Tree
- Basmah Felemban, Murmur of Pebbles
- Vibha Galhotra, Future Fables
- Héctor Zamora, Tar HyPar
For further information, please contact:
Sabrine.Shaw@bursonglobal.com
AlUlaArtsFestival@bursonglobal.com
Multimedia gallery:
High-resolution photos of all 11 artists and their artworks can be found here.
About AlUla and Arts AlUla
Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.
The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages. AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes was developed from at least the 12th century and has been revitalised as the vibrant hub for visitors and residents.
The creation of Arts AlUla within The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is a commitment to crafting the next chapters in a millennia of artistic creation – celebrating cultural inheritance and shaping a future inspired by artists built be artists. The work of Arts AlUla seeks to preserve this legacy: fuse the old with the new; the local with the international, keeping the arts central to the spirit of AlUla as a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage.
Wadi AlFann, meaning 'Valley of the Arts,' will be a global cultural destination for land art, unveiling from 2028 onwards, where era-defining works by artists from around the world will be permanently sited in the monumental landscape of AlUla, the extraordinary desert region of north-west Saudi Arabia.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Desert X AlUla 2026: monumental land art exhibition opens in the ancient oasis of AlUla
