Most Phuket tourists infected with Covid travelled from Russia and Kazakhstan

Most tourists who tested positive for Covid-19 when they arrived in Phuket travelled from Russia and Kazakhstan, but particularly Russia, the Phuket provincial governor told the Bangkok Post. The governor says there will be an investigation of why a significant number of infections involved travellers from those countries.

Governor Narong Woonciew says that out of about 300 daily diagnoses in Phuket, about 100 were from travellers. The Tourism Authority of Thailand said between July 1, 2021 and January 25, 2022, Phuket went from earning 14 billion baht in tourism to earning 33 billion baht. This shows hope for Phuket’s economy after it was battered by Covid-19.

Since Phuket is a major tourist city, most of its income has come from international travellers. But a report by one real estate consultancy says this year, domestic travellers, not international, will be the main drivers of Phuket’s hospitality industry. Before Covid-19 hit, the average number of foreign visitors was 14,800 in 2019. It plummeted to an average of 500 in 2021. With the “Phuket Sandbox,” Tourism in Phuket is now slowly recovering, and in December, the daily average was 2,800. Numbers in the report indicate that hotel investors and operators are still optimistic about Phuket’s hospitality industry recovering.

In November, the head of the Phuket Tourist Association said he was optimistic about Thailand reopening to vaccinated tourists from 63 countries. He said bookings increased by 20% in November.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post