Thailand still wants Russian tourists; and direct flights are making it easy

Russian tourists have been flocking to Phuket , Thailand’s largest island, after direct flights from Russia resumed at the end of October.

The 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, said that tour operators in Phuket were unprepared for the sudden influx of arrivals.

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. On the same day, the Russian state-owned airline Aeroflot restarted direct flights to Thailand, India, and the Maldives.

Phuket is heavily reliant on tourism. Before the pandemic, the travel industry accounted for about 80 per cent of the island’s economy and provided more than 300,000 jobs.