Thailand still wants Russian tourists; and direct flights are making it easy to get to Phuket
- Direct flights between Russia and Thailand’s largest island, Phuket, resumed on October 30
- Russians made up Phuket’s largest group of tourists in early November, about 25 per cent, according to the Phuket Express
Russian tourists have been flocking to Phuket – Thailand’s largest island – after direct flights from Russia resumed at the end of October.
Numbers dipped in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as Western sanctions reduced travel capacities, but Russian tourists are returning to Phuket in droves.
In the first 10 days of November, Russians made up Phuket’s biggest group of tourists accounting for 18,370 out of 75,247 international arrivals, according to the Phuket Express.
President of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, told a Thai newspaper that tour operators in Phuket were unprepared for the sudden influx of arrivals.
02:10
Over 7,000 Russian tourists stranded in Thailand as Ukraine war sanctions target Moscow
The first direct flight from Moscow to Thailand since the war broke out in March was a charter flight by Ikar Airlines. It arrived in Phuket on October 30 and was met with a reception from airport staff celebrating the return of Russian tourism, according to the local newspaper The Thaiger.
On the same day, the Russian state-owned airline Aeroflot restarted direct flights to Thailand, India, and the Maldives.