Phuket shines as Thailand brings on the bargains
Times may be tough for Bangkok’s hoteliers but away from Thailand’s military-ruled capital Phuket’s tourist industry is thriving.
Passenger arrivals to the island surged 26% and hotel occupancy rates reached more than 80% in the first quarter of this year, according to surveys by property consulting firms CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) and C9 Hotelworks.
The CBRE survey for the first quarter of this year found that the number of international arrivals in Phuket increased by 6.9% to 962,953 visitors.
The research found an increase in direct international flights to Phuket contributed to the rise in visitors.
Chinese and Russian tourists are currently the two biggest tourist markets for Phuket, making up some 45% of the total international passenger arrivals, a rise from 36% in 2012.
Other major sources of tourists to Phuket are Australia, South Korea and Malaysia, according to C9 Hotelworks.
Thawatchai Arunyik, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said: "Now that the curfew has been lifted nationwide, many leading tourist destinations as well as hotels, airlines and shopping malls are offering some great bargains to bring tourists back in larger numbers and restore visitors confidence in Thailand as an appealing and welcoming destination."
Ian Jarrett
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