Vietnam has become one of the fastest growing sources of visitor arrivals to Thailand, thanks to close geographical proximity, good access and visa-free facilities under the ASEAN umbrella. In the year to October, Thailand welcomed 529,271 Vietnamese visitors, an increase of 30 percent over the same period of 2011, according to figures from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). One key segment within this group is the Vietnamese independent traveler who is characterized as internet-savvy, modern individuals who are interested in lifestyle, fashion and entertainment products. “In 2011, Vietnamese visitors to Thailand totaled 514,801, up 29.5 percent over 2010,” said Chutathip Chareonlarp, director of the TAT’s Ho Chi Minh Office. The average length of stay was 6.04 days per person per visit with an average daily expenditure of 4,035 baht per person, she said. “Another interesting statistic from the Vietnamese market is that in 2011, a total of 61 percent were repeat visitors,” she added. The top five destinations for Vietnamese visitors include Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Kanchanaburi and Udon Thani. New trend destinations gaining popularity are Northeast Thailand, Samui Island and Phuket. As of November 2012, there were 112 direct flights between Bangkok and major Vietnamese cities.Easy Island Transfers service launched In embracing the high growth from Vietnam, AirAsia has recently announced an increase on their flight frequency from two to three daily flights between Bangkok Don Mueang International Airport and Ho Chi Minh City, starting from mid-November 2012. It also opened opens a new service, called Thailand’s Easy Island Transfer, allowing tourists to add convenient transfers to five of Thailand’s most popular south sea islands to their ticket purchases via the airliner’s website. The new five island destinations include Samui, Phangan, Phi Phi, Lanta and Lipe Island, the airliner said. "We noticed that most travelers to the southern provinces of Phuket, Surat Thani, Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Hat Yai continue on to either Samui, Phangan, Phi Phi, Lanta or Lipe Island, so it made sense for us to offer transfers to the islands alongside our ticketing service in order to give travelers that added convenience when planning their trips”, Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia. The service begins by letting customers choose one of the five island destinations, and the booking system will automatically select the nearest airstrip to the island. Upon arrival to the airport, a passenger vehicle will collect them and transport them to the appropriate pier so they may embark on a ferry ride to their chosen island.