Daily direct flights between Phuket and Shanghai to takeoff next week

Daily flights between Phuket in southern Thailand and Shanghai in China will takeoff next Wednesday, January 18, operated by Shanghai’s Juneyao Airlines.

The inaugural flight will be the first direct service between Phuket and mainland China in almost three years.

China reopened its borders yesterday, and given that China was once Thailand’s top tourism market, Thailand braced itself for an influx of Chinese tourists.

But the reality has been underwhelming so far. President of the Thai Hotels Association Suksit Suvunditkul told the Bangkok Post that the number of direct flights and tourists from China remained small compared to other countries.

A daily direct service between Phuket and China’s most populous city is bound to propel Chinese tourists to travel to the island and pump their yuan into the local economy.

Chinese tourism to Phuket – especially that booked through online platforms – is most likely to revive significantly next month, added Suksit.

The border has only just opened and Chinese tourists need time to update their travel documents. Airlines also need time to revive services to and from China.

On Sunday – China’s grand reopening – 245 international flights departed from Beijing, compared to 2,500 daily flights from the airport in pre-pandemic China.

Yesterday, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul welcomed 269 passengers on Xiamen Airlines flight MF833 from Xiamen in China – the first flight from the mainland to Suvarnabhumi Airport since March 2020.

Over the course of the day, 3,465 passengers from China flew into Thailand on 15 flights.

After welcoming the tourists, Anutin announced the immediate removal of Thailand’s reinstated Covid-19 vaccine entry requirement, just four days after the measure was revived.

Airports of Thailand, which operates Phuket International Airport, is yet to officially announce the new daily direct service between Phuket and Shanghai.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects 300,000 Chinese to holiday in Thailand in the first quarter of 2023 and 7 – 10 million to arrive over the course of the year.

In 2022, Thailand welcomed 11.5 million international arrivals, surpassing the TAT’s target of 10 million.