Russians return to Phuket

PHUKET Russian tourists are returning in force to Phuket Island according to C9 Hotelworks latest analysis of the Phuket Russian Tourism Market.

Last year, the rebounding segment contributed an estimated THB30 billion (approximately USD848 million) to the island’s economy.

C9 Hotelworks states in its latest research that one clear cut metric pointing to Phuket’s appeal is that 51% of Russian travellers to Thailand visit the island destination.

Phuket experienced a strong recovery in its Russian tourism market in 2016, with total passengers arriving via international flights to the island up by 51% year-on-year.

This is substantially higher than the growth of the total market of travellers from Russia to Thailand, which rose by 23% in the same period.

A major factor prompting the uplift was the crash of Metrojet flight from Sharm El Sheikh to St Petersburg in October 2015. The event resulted in tour operators suspending flights to Egypt and diverting to alternative holiday destination such as Phuket.

Another factor that helped increase the overall number of outbound Russian tourists on a global basis is the strengthening of the ruble, which began appreciating early last year due to rising oil prices.

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