Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) deputy governor Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, told a press briefing Monday that as a result of the new 60-day visa-free plan, TAT, believes the Russian inbound market should achieve a new high of 2.2 million arrivals next year.
Mr Siripakorn said that the objective of 2.2 million Russian tourists next year is based on the same growth rate as in 2024, which should bring the market to 1.9-2 million. He said the success this year would also exceed the levels recorded in 2019 and 2023.
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) reported that during the first half, 920,989 Russian visitors arrived in Thailand, making them the fifth largest group of international guests. According to the first quarter statistics, their spending per trip was roughly 62,000 baht.
Thailand’s tourist business should receive 124 billion baht in income from the market by 2024.
He stated that two major Russian flag carriers, Aeroflot and S7, conduct regular flights to Bangkok and Phuket, totaling more than 40 flights every week. He said TAT is still in talks with airlines and tourism operators about increasing both regular and chartered flights in the fourth quarter to meet surging demand from Russian tourists during the peak season.
Lack of Flights to Thailand
He said even though Thai Airways International has expressed an interest in resuming flights to Russia, there is currently no definite strategy to do so. He went on to say that aircraft shortage among other commercial airlines and chartered operators remains a key concern for the sector, as they are unable to lease additional aircraft due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
A majority of Russia’s 61 long-range aircraft have been dedicated to internal routes as well as emerging destinations such as China, Vietnam, and India. Other problems include Thailand’s ban on taking Russian credit cards, which prevents Russian travellers from spending money at their destination.
As a result, the majority of Russian travellers prefer all-inclusive tour packages that include transportation, lodging, and meals.
He said to boost the length of stay of Russian tourists, the agency will focus on delivering extended-stay travel packages that include cultural and historical trips as well as wellness activities and beach sites, and more operators now offer currency exchange from rubles in major Thai cities, and some Russian visitors may choose to register new debit cards in other countries that can be used in Thailand.
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) drive for more Russian tourists comes as the Kingdom welcomed 20 million foreign tourists in the first seven months of this year, roughly half of the total for the same period prior to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Visa-free travel to Thailand
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin stated in an X post this week that more than 20 million international visitors visited the country between January 1 and July 25, a 34% rise over the previous year.
He commended all parties and sectors for promoting different initiatives, such as visa-free travel, additional flights, the establishment of an aviation hub, and enhancements to tourism destinations, which contributed to the increase in numbers.
Furthermore, the number of tourists from Taiwan and India has hit an all-time high, most likely due to the visa-free policy. Visitors from 93 countries can stay in the kingdom for up to 60 days without having to seek for a visa. It began late last year and has now been extended till November 11th. It is one of the government’s hallmark measures for supporting the industry.
Mr Srettha attributed this year’s tourism boom to cooperation among all parties involved. “Now, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is planning activities to attract tourists from various nations each month. “I would like the tourism sector to prepare because Thailand’s big door has opened today,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Tourism and Sports Ministry predicts that 35 million visitors will generate 3 trillion baht in income this year, falling short of Thailand’s record of 3.91 trillion baht and 40 million tourists in 2019.
According to ministry data, Thailand received 20,001,405 visitors between January 1 and July 25, this year. The majority of visitors (3,994,343) were from mainland China, followed by Malaysia (2,784,598), India (1,170,419), South Korea (1,053,077), Russia (987,861), Laos (714,564), Taiwan (610,270), Vietnam (597,695), and the United States (575,268).
Russia had the highest number of long-haul arrivals, followed by the United States, Germany (481,733), France (420,446), and the United Kingdom (539,884).
Source: TAT, Bangkok Post
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