Doha (Qatar) – November 12, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Qatar Airways is the first Middle Eastern airline to announce direct flights to Thailand's third international airport, U Tapao-Rayong Pattaya International Airport (UTP).

The airline will offer four flights per week from Doha starting on January 28, 2018, using its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 232 seats in Economy Class and 22 seats in Business Class.

With more and more flights expected to arrive in U Tapao and a new ferry service being established near the airport directly to Koh Chang, this news will have a huge impact on the region and especially on the tourism industry of Koh Chang Island.

As Thailand's second largest island, it is already experiencing a steady increase in the number of visitors who spend their holidays there.

This is likely to increase dramatically now that the Thai government has finally approved its ambitious plans to invest millions in infrastructure along the East Coast Corridor.

This is great news for Siam Royal View Resort, the largest mixed-use development on Koh Chang, which recently launched its new Marina Condominiums and Riverside Villas to keep pace with the island's popularity.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has just announced that 28.64 million tourists visited Thailand in the first ten months of 2017, an increase of almost 7% compared to the previous year.

Visitor numbers are also steadily increasing on the island. Between 2010 and 2015, there was an increase of over 220% to 1,106,149 hotel bookings; this figure does not yet include guests staying in unregistered accommodations.

With the recent announcement of a ferry connection between Pattaya and the island, the future looks even more promising.

Hanspeter Siegrist, director of the Siam Royal View, said: “One reason why we haven’t been able to attract more tourists in the past was the limited number of 3- to 5-star accommodations on Koh Chang. With this in mind, we are now building more villas and condominiums near our marina and expanding our successful Peninsula Beach Hotel with additional capacity.”

Property owners benefit from the world-class facilities of Siam Royal View, one of Southeast Asia's largest beachfront resorts. It offers over 2 km of sandy beach, 4 km of coastline, over 100 beach and pool villas, a marina, a pitch and putt golf course, boutique hotels, swimming pools, restaurants, beach bars, and wellness facilities.

The Koh Chang archipelago consists of over 50 islands that can be explored almost all year round, making the island group one of the best boating areas in the world.

Further information about the Siam Royal View Resort can be found at www.kohchangmarinacondo.com or www.siam-royal-view.com.

Contact: Mike Bridge [email protected]