A Russian tourist takes a selfie at Mai Khao beach in Phuket, Thailand. File photo: Reuters

 

● Money-transfer difficulties and flight cancellations following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have shaken Thai tour operators

 

● Russians were the largest group of visitors to the kingdom in January and some 1.5 million of them came in 2019 and spent US$3.3 billion

 

Bloomberg

 

A plunging rouble, flight cancellations and money-transfer difficulties are prompting Russian and European tourists to cancel trips to Thailand, a blow to the Southeast Asian nation’s tourism-revival efforts.

 

The exclusion of many Russian banks from the Swift payments network has resulted in tour operators running into problems when making transfers, according to Charintip Tiyaphorn, co-owner of Pimalai Resort & Spa in Phuket. Some flights have been cancelled following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and many European airlines are re-routing to get to Southeast Asia, she said.

 

Russians were the largest group of travellers to Thailand in January and top applicants for new visas under a quarantine-free entry programme relaunched last month. About 1.5 million Russians visited in pre-pandemic 2019 and spent US$3.3 billion, the third-highest source of tourism revenue for the country, according to official data.

 

Full story: https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3168884/ukraine-invasion-crashing-russian-rouble-sanctions-deal

 

-- © Copyright South China Morning Post 2022-03-02

 

- Aetna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Every cloud has a silver lining.

TAT will adjust it`s estimated arrivals upwards to compensate.....????

Now worries the Indians will replace them 

Interesting perspective....democratic country invaded, innocent civilians murdered, their capital about to be destroyed.........Yes........but what about our tourist numbers.

3 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Now worries the Indians will replace them 

 Baba is coming?

They will be compensated by tourists from Pakistan, Iran and North Korea!

3 minutes ago, AwwYesNice1 said:

 Baba is coming?

They'll be really sari if the do.

China bubble: gone

India bubble: gone

Russian trillionaires: gone

 

now India bubble on track again.

 

Once in a while, TAT get's it right ????

They will report tourism is way up. And it will be compared to 2021!

 

Not really a big factor. The number of Russians who would have come would have been a fraction of previous years. That applies to all nations. 

 

Way too much sabotage and decimation has been applied to tourism, by weak, cowardly and incapable men. It will take many, many difficult years for it to recover. And even then, it will never be like before. Never. All things change and evolve. At this very moment Thailand is being forgotten. 

 

 

42 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Interesting perspective....democratic country invaded, innocent civilians murdered, their capital about to be destroyed.........Yes........but what about our tourist numbers.

Sums up Thailand.

"You blew up a civilian tower block?"

Now you qualify for a family deckchair discount. Welcome.

2 faced, immoral, money grabbing and untrustworthy.

Doesn’t seem like Buddha is smiling on Thailand these days. One blow after another. 
what coming next? 

12 minutes ago, pokerface1 said:

Doesn’t seem like Buddha is smiling on Thailand these days. One blow after another. 
what coming next? 

Perhaps another flood ????????

Could thailand be forced to block its air space to russia and if the mad man fires his nukes it will be the end
 

27 minutes ago, sanuk711 said:

 

Thailand is beginning to reopen after a period of having- No body....so I guess they will stagger through it all.

 

 

 

I'm more worried about these guys poor kids losing their jobs............

 

 

 

 

Have a mate was working for a US company for 3 weeks in kyiv flew out 20 feb on last ryanair flight out of that country he is now devastated at whats happening.

His colleagues there have 2 choices, Its be a refugee or die but as u live in cookoo land why would u care

25 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

They will report tourism is way up. And it will be compared to 2021!

 

Not really a big factor. The number of Russians who would have come would have been a fraction of previous years. That applies to all nations. 

 

Way too much sabotage and decimation has been applied to tourism, by weak, cowardly and incapable men. It will take many, many difficult years for it to recover. And even then, it will never be like before. Never. All things change and evolve. At this very moment Thailand is being forgotten. 

 

 

You forgot to mention "the wine tax"????

Off topic trolling posts and the replies have been removed.

15 minutes ago, tomyami said:

His colleagues there have 2 choices, Its be a refugee or die

Gosh......I wonder what option they will choose tomyami................

1 hour ago, Will B Good said:

Interesting perspective....democratic country invaded, innocent civilians murdered, their capital about to be destroyed.........Yes........but what about our tourist numbers.

we all know here,  $$$$$$$$ talks the rest is just not that important for them, it's just like the wind

Have a look at the oil price...

Shocking

Going to be interesting to see what immigration and hotels do with Russian people that can no longer pay their bills and are unable to get home.

 

 

And there's me thinking they only want high end tourists  .think thry beg for anyone including us oldies who sip a fee beers everyday 

1. Shows how self centered the journalist is, but again his is stating the obvious  

2. Russian tourist on the photo has Chinese appearance.

2. Aggression in Ukraine must stop so the world can be'' normal'' again.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

A plunging rouble, flight cancellations and money-transfer difficulties are prompting Russian and European tourists to cancel trips to Thailand, a blow to the Southeast Asian nation’s tourism-revival efforts.

Yes, bit if a blow. But, hey ho Thailand, it could be worse, some people are having their country blown to bits by one of those unhinged, cowardly ‘strongmen’. You know, the type that just takes. It is a bit frustrating how trivial these tourism people make it all sound though. And, though easy to brush off the Russians visitors—not my cup of tea—some of them are likely as appalled as the rest of us. 

If the Thai government is unwilling to denounce an invasion, let alone enact sanctions, I don’t have a shred of sympathy for them. They get what they deserve as far as I am concerned.
 

Yes, it is Thai citizens who will suffer not “the government”, but it’s up to those citizens to vote to oust their government in sufficient numbers that the result cannot be manipulated.

6 minutes ago, smew said:

 

2. Russian tourist on the photo has Chinese appearance.

 

Russia has a hugely diverse ethnic Asian population, origins being Mongolia, Kazakhstan, North Korea amongst other nations, particularly in the Russian Far East.

I'm sure they've starting working on a Saudi / Qatari tourism bubble - 60 day visa exempt plan..........

3 minutes ago, wensiensheng said:

If the Thai government is unwilling to denounce an invasion, let alone enact sanctions, I don’t have a shred of sympathy for them. They get what they deserve as far as I am concerned.
 

Yes, it is Thai citizens who will suffer not “the government”, but it’s up to those citizens to vote to oust their government in sufficient numbers that the result cannot be manipulated.

Yeah RT still available for viewing here ! 

2 hours ago, stereolab said:

Every cloud has a silver lining.

Is there anything but money on their brain?

What is wrong with the ILLUSTRIOUS BRITS? Bring zem in, ZEY R BIG £££ "SPENDERS" .

Soon we will say the " RUSSIANS R COMING".

By the way, flight routes to bkk from Moscow are clear, only the money issue is the snag. Thailand ,can you extend them credit facilities till the sanction is lifted?

Good to see such an objective story from an obviously unbiased source like the "South China Morning Post". I'm honestly surprised they didn't follow it up with an article from Pravda or Izvestia, just to confirm that the whole world is holding its breath to see how this situation in Ukraine plays out for the Thai tourism business. Never mind the demented goblin sitting in the bowels of the Kremlin with his finger on the nuclear button, what really matters is daily arrivals at Swampy and hotel occupancy rates in Phuket.