Thailand to fly in Russian tourists on chartered flights this High Season

Unlike several European countries launching travel bans on Russia, Thailand is welcoming tourists from the former Soviet state with open arms this winter. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) unveiled plans this week to fly Russian tourists into Thailand via regular chartered flights to boost tourism revenue this High Season, which runs from November to February.

In the years leading up to the pandemic, the Russian market generated a significant chunk of Thailand’s tourism revenue, Russians became the second largest international source market for Phuket’s tourism industry.

Even with the mounds of paperwork, money, quarantine and insurance involved in holidaying to Thailand when the borders crept back open during the pandemic, Russians were the first to download Test & Go/Thailand Pass and hop on a plane to Thailand.

However, since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an attack on Ukraine in February, several airlines have suspended their Thailand – Russia services, and Russia’s access to the kingdom waned. Some services are still running, but tickets have surged four to five times pre-conflict prices, making travelling to Thailand an unrealistic option for many Russians. Russians still want to come to Thailand, but they are less connected.

Currently, Russians are banned from travelling to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland. Lithuania’s interior minister this week said that Russian tourists are not welcome because three-quarters of Russian citizens support the country’s invasion of Ukraine, a conflict which has killed at least 5,827 Ukrainian citizens.

But Thailand desperately needs to boost tourism revenue, with airline connectivity between Thailand and the rest of the world at only 50% of 2019 figures, according to the TAT.

The TAT hopes that Russians will return to spend their rubles in the kingdom once more if connectivity between Russia and Thailand is improved. Therefore, the TAT is working with tour agencies to fly Russian tourists into Thailand on chartered flights three times per week this High Season.

Additionally, Aeroflot will relaunch daily direct flights between Russia and Phuket on October 30, 2022.

SOURCE: TrueID | Bangkok Post

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