By Kanchan Nath
TD Editor

Thailand’s leading resort island of Phuket’s post-pandemic tourism recovery has been headlined by a surge in Russian travellers in the high season. But the backstory is how a spike in regional visitors from India, Malaysia, and Singapore set the stage in Q4 of last year that pushed hotels and the service sector back into action.

 

Data on hotel Phuket hotel performance in C9 Hotelworks’ newly released Phuket Hotel Market Update 2023 shows how the industry escalated after Thailand lifted travel restrictions at the beginning of October 2022. The influx of tourists propelled market-wide occupancy for the year to 48%, up year-on-year from a COVID-19-impacted low of 8% in 2021.

 

While Phuket’s winter high season which is November through to March has seen a return of the island’s traditional ‘snowbird’ visitors from Northern Europe and Scandinavia, the main mover has been Russia and a handful of other Eastern European countries. Despite limited direct airlift due to a backdrop of economic sanctions by the EU and airfares which have in many cases risen by 200-300%, the Russians indeed came. Though numbers were sharply down compared to the nearly one million count in 2019, stays increased from a normal average of 11 days, and rose by over 50%.

 

Full story: https://www.traveldailymedia.com/robust-phuket-tourism-numbers-in-q4-2022-and-high-winter-season-to-lead-to-recovery-by-year-end-2023/

 

 

-- © Copyright Travel Daily 2023-03-25

 

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Good for you Thailand. More tourism dollars. Wouldn't it be better to invest in creating a manufacturing base where you can actually grow your economy and gain more jobs on your own terms instead of trying to rely in the whims of tourists? Yes! No question!!

5 hours ago, HuskerDo2 said:

Good for you Thailand. More tourism dollars. Wouldn't it be better to invest in creating a manufacturing base where you can actually grow your economy and gain more jobs on your own terms instead of trying to rely in the whims of tourists? Yes! No question!!

Tourism is all they got because it's easy money, as far as domestic manufacturing it's mostly down to Japan and the auto trade, plus a few other international concerns.

If they ever pulled the plug Thailand would sink.

7 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Tourism is all they got because it's easy money, as far as domestic manufacturing it's mostly down to Japan and the auto trade, plus a few other international concerns.

If they ever pulled the plug Thailand would sink.

Not true. So many companies that have their manufacturing done in China want to get out of there for many various reasons. Thailand has the workforce that can step in and fill the need. Especially with American companies. 

 

If the Thai govt had even a few brain cells they would jump at such an opportunity to boost their economy and enrich their people and not have to rely on the whims of tourists. Not a hard task but apparently it is for the Thai govt.

12 hours ago, HuskerDo2 said:

Not true. So many companies that have their manufacturing done in China want to get out of there for many various reasons. Thailand has the workforce that can step in and fill the need. Especially with American companies. 

 

If the Thai govt had even a few brain cells they would jump at such an opportunity to boost their economy and enrich their people and not have to rely on the whims of tourists. Not a hard task but apparently it is for the Thai govt.

You also need a skilled, motivated, reliable workforce capable of consistent quality output and working harmoniously in groups for the benefit of the company's economic prospects and not the 'do it quick, bodge it and pay up' mentality that exists!

 

Just now, Phil1964 said:

You also need a skilled, motivated, reliable workforce capable of consistent quality output and working harmoniously in groups for the benefit of the company's economic prospects and not the 'do it quick, bodge it and pay up' mentality that exists!

 

Pay them well and reward them accordingly and you'll have a VERY motivated and reliable workforce.

7 hours ago, HuskerDo2 said:

Pay them well and reward them accordingly and you'll have a VERY motivated and reliable workforce.

There speaks the voice of (in)experience

6 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

There speaks the voice of (in)experience

Thinking like yours Prang is exactly why this country can't move ahead and become self-sufficient. They will forever be beholden to the tourists like they have been for decades. Why not try a new path? Why not invest in the people? Why not at least try to become self-sufficient? They will always have tourism but if they have a sound manufacturing base too it will benefit the country greatly. Open your mind a bit.

4 hours ago, HuskerDo2 said:

Thinking like yours Prang is exactly why this country can't move ahead and become self-sufficient. They will forever be beholden to the tourists like they have been for decades. Why not try a new path? Why not invest in the people? Why not at least try to become self-sufficient? They will always have tourism but if they have a sound manufacturing base too it will benefit the country greatly. Open your mind a bit.

Its hardly my thoughts preventing Thailand from moving ahead. !

I doubt very much that the Thai government or authorities share my thoughts, which are based on my own experience of employing Thais (on a very small scale)  and also on observations of many Thais in and around the areas I have lived who chose to try working in factories. Very few of which lasted very long, once they had made a bit of money they packed it in and returned back to the village.  It seems many of them just don't want or need to be wage slaves.