Hotel Report: Russians back, zero-baht backlash, crackdown on illegal hotels

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Hotel Report: Russians back, zero-baht backlash, crackdown on illegal hotels

Phuket Gazette 

  

        

Quarter by quarter breakdown of airport passenger arrivals growth. Image: c9 Hotelworks

 

PHUKET: -- Russian arrivals are back to pre-crisis level while the zero-baht tourism ban curbed Q4 growth, the newly released C9 Hotelworks 'Phuket Hotel Market Update' for February says.

With total airport arrivals surpassing 7.5 million passengers, Phuket experienced a sharp year-on-year rise of 18 per cent, compared to 13 per cent the previous year. This is largely attributed to the resurgence of the Russian source market, which increased 51 per cent last year. The rebound was prompted by the strengthening of the ruble against the Thai baht and political volatility in the Middle East that shifted Russian tourists to the island during high season.

Another notable source market is Mainland China, whose arrivals were substantially affected after a nationwide government’s crackdown on zero-baht tourism in September last year (story here). The growth rate of Chinese visitors for 2016 was down from 35 per cent to 11 per cent. However, the impact from the new enforcement is expected to soften in early 2017 with more Chinese travelers arriving during Chinese New Year.

Another key market issue is the influx of Airbnb and residential products now competing in the hotel space. 

“There has been a significant change in the Department of Tourism and Sports’ revised hotel supply data to include both registered and unregistered tourist accommodations in late 2016, with Phuket now showing a total of 81,727 keys in 1,744 establishments,” says C9 Managing Director Bill Barnett.

 

Full story: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Hotel-Report-Russians-back-zerobaht-backlash-crackdown/66231?desktopversion#ad-image-0

 

-- © Copyright Phuket Gazette 2017-02-06

[fester the benevolent]

Bill Barnet promoting his shoddy business again? Must be a day ending in a y.

[craigt3365]

Russian arrivals are not back to pre-crisis levels here in Pattaya.  Nowhere near.

[JamJar]

Perhaps you should visit Ambassador City. They are all there. Weird place. :)

Reminds me of http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475784/

[gk10002000]

The Thais must plot data and add numbers differently than I do.  I only have degrees in engineering in math.  How do they get total arrivals to be what looks like the average of domestic and international arrivals?  And as I look at the smaller charts in the article in the hyper lilnk, I don't see any data backing up the number of Russians.  Basically I see a  bunch of unsubstantiated data plots and I can't sort out "rate" increases or decreases corroborated by absolute numbers.  But I am still a bit drunk from crazy Patriots superbowl win so maybe I am just missing things.

[zorro1]

Russians are in Pattaya and Jomtien in the millions it seems. I would call that report correct even though it's phuket not Pattaya.. It's like the Russians are in invasion mode

[Allstars]

50 minutes ago, JamJar said:

Perhaps you should visit Ambassador City. They are all there. Weird place. :)

Reminds me of http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475784/

I think Ambasador has 7000 rooms, so if they are all there, that still doesn't amount for much

[jollyhangmon]

2 hours ago, JamJar said:

Perhaps you should visit Ambassador City. They are all there. Weird place. :)

Reminds me of http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475784/

Agreed! You couldn't pay me enough to stay in such places ... 

 

(... no matter with or without Russkis i might add) 

[craigt3365]

7 hours ago, JamJar said:

Perhaps you should visit Ambassador City. They are all there. Weird place. :)

Reminds me of http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475784/

I live across the street, almost. LOL

[Rimmer]

Two off topic troll posts have been removed

[madmitch]

I can assure the doubters that the Russians are back in Karon/Kata in a big way. I don't know about the rest of Phuket.

 

I would be interested to know how many hotels supply info to Mr Barnett as I'm pretty sure it's not totally representative of Phuket as a whole.

[zorro1]

This morning at 9am 25 min wait at jomtien as about 20 baht buses went by packed in tighter than sardines on the way to Pattaya , all Russian. Never seen it like this before at 9am!

So bad I'm moving into Pattaya tomorrow for the rest of my stay

[dageurreotype]

22 hours ago, zorro1 said:

Russians are in Pattaya and Jomtien in the millions it seems. I would call that report correct even though it's phuket not Pattaya.. It's like the Russians are in invasion mode

Bill! Is that you? 

[F4UCorsair]

On Monday, February 06, 2017 at 6:18 PM, Allstars said:

I think Ambasador has 7000 rooms, so if they are all there, that still doesn't amount for much

7000 rooms?   Are you sure?

You may be right, of course. I don't know the place but that sounds like a LOT of rooms. 

 

Edit:  Just googled It, as I should have done before posting, Ambassador CIty Hotel 999 rooms, whole of Ambassador City, 4210 rooms.  Massive place.

[F4UCorsair]

This may sound  negative, but I find 7.5 million pax into Phuket in a year unbelievable....that 150,000 a week, 21,500 (approx) a day, about 54 full B747's a day!!!

 

Can that be right?

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, F4UCorsair said:

7000 rooms?   Are you sure?

You may be right, of course. I don't know the place but that sounds like a LOT of rooms. 

 

Edit:  Just googled It, as I should have done before posting, Ambassador CIty Hotel 999 rooms, whole of Ambassador City, 4210 rooms.  Massive place.

8th largest hotel complex in the world.  Use to be number 1, many years ago.  It's huge.  And in dire need of a make over. LOL

[johng]

8th largest hotel complex in the world.  Use to be number 1, many years ago.  It's huge.  And in dire need of a make over. LOL

They painted the outside of the main tower a (soviet style ? ) brown color a couple of years ago, maybe they got a good price for all that paint that no-one else wanted....its faded to a nicer looking orange-ish color now.