russian tourists
- Thailand News
Thai policeman accused of brutally abusing cat in Phuket
A Russian couple holidaying in Phuket were left reeling in horror after witnessing a Thai policeman abusing a cat, captured in shocking video footage. The couple, Stanislav and Gromova, recounted the gruesome scene that unfolded in the Chalong subdistrict of Phuket, where a Thai man, suspected to be a policeman, subjected a defenceless cat to a vicious assault, leading to…
- Road deaths
Russian tourist dies in Phuket motorbike crash near Big Buddha
A Russian tourist tragically lost his life in a motorbike accident near Kata School on Patak Road in Karon, Phuket. The incident occurred at 5.50am today, April 17, when the tourist, Pavel, lost control of his Honda PCX and plunged into a ditch. His wife, who was riding a pillion, sustained minor injuries. They were en route to visit the…
- Thailand News
PM Srettha pledges to woo back Russian tourists with revived flights
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is gearing up to welcome a surge of Russian tourists to Thailand, unveiling plans to tackle the flight shortage bottleneck yesterday. Acknowledging reports of a burgeoning number of Russian tourists eyeing Thailand for their holidays, PM Srettha highlighted the critical lack of flights to accommodate the demand. “Inadequate flights are hindering the influx of Russian…
- Thailand News
Police crackdown on kidnapping for crypto ransom in Phuket, Thailand
Authorities in Phuket detained four foreign suspects in a brazen kidnapping that targeted a Russian couple in the island’s bustling streets. The assailants forced their victims to transfer cryptocurrency worth an estimated 30 million baht but upon interrogation the suspects maintained their innocence, claiming no acquaintance with the victims and identifying themselves as tourists. The incident, which unfolded yesterday, January…
- Thailand News
Russian tourists survive as tour boat sinks off Coral Island
A tour boat named Martini carrying six Russian tourists, sank off Koh Hey, also known as Coral Island, yesterday, January 9. Thankfully, no injuries were reported from the incident, according to the Phuket Marine Office. The tour boat named Martini met its unfortunate fate near Nam Bo Bay, on the west side of Koh Hey around 3.50pm. The vessel had embarked…
- Thailand News
Ko Mai Thon speedboat accident: Captain found drug positive
A speedboat collision off Mai Thon Island near Phuket on New Year’s Eve claimed the life of a five year old Russian girl, with others facing life-threatening injuries. The tragedy took a bizarre turn as reports surfaced, revealing that the 41 year old captain, currently on life support, tested positive for an amphetamine-related substance. Phuket authorities are now under scrutiny,…
- Tourism News
Thai visa extension for Russians sparks mixed industry reactions
The Thai Cabinet’s decision to extend the stay period for Russian tourists under the visa extension to 90 days, from the previous 30 days, has sparked mixed reactions. While some tourism operators fear an increase in illegal work activity, others in the south see potential for a boost in spending. The new policy, announced on Monday, aims to stimulate the…
- Phuket News
Russian foreign minister arrives in Phuket
Sergey Lavrov, the acting Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, was warmly received at Phuket International Airport by a welcoming committee spearheaded by Amnuay Pinsuwan, Phuket’s Vice Governor. Lavrov’s visit is labelled by expectation as he lands on Thai soil to inaugurate the already functioning Russian consulate at Boat Lagoon in Koh Kaew, despite the absence of further details about…
- World News
Bali requests no visas-on-arrival for Russians, Ukrainians
Bali has requested that the central immigration agency cancels visa-on-arrival for Russian and Ukrainian nationals. The move comes after at least four Russian citizens were deported this month for visa violations, and following repeated warnings from immigration authorities about working on tourist visas. Governor I Wayan Koster requested the Ministry of Law and Human Rights to cancel the visa-on-arrival facility…
- Tourism News
Record numbers of Russian tourists affect economy
Thailand has seen a sharp rise in the number of Russian tourists in the country. So far this year over 370,000 Russian visitors have arrived in Thailand. That’s 67% of last year’s entire total of 435,000. Pol Maj Gen Phanthana Nutchanart, the deputy commander of the Immigration Bureau assures though that the influx has not increased Russian criminal activity. The…
- Eastern Thailand News
Minivan driver claims he wasn’t asleep, screaming tourists caused crash
A minivan full of Russian tourists crashed either as a result of a screaming passenger or a sleeping driver, depending on who you believe. The minivan crashed into a tree after the driver was seen slumping over in his chair and one of the passengers screamed loudly, either out of fear, or too quickly to wake up the sleeping driver.…
- Pattaya News
Russian tourists spot foreigner’s body floating off Pattaya beach
Russian tourists spotted a foreigner’s body floating off a Pattaya beach as they were sunbathing on Monday. A hotel clerk said the tourists rushed to tell him to call the police after they discovered the body floating in the sea. Pattaya Police and rescuers arrived to retrieve the man’s body at Wong Amat Beach in front of Soi 16 in…
- Tourism News
Russians take Thailand by storm
Since September, Russian tourist arrivals in Thailand have increased sevenfold. A number of favourable factors make Thailand the perfect place to escape the icy grip of winter in Russia this year. Thailand, especially Pattaya and Phuket, has always been a popular holiday destination for Russians, with 1.48 million of them arriving in Thailand in 2019. Pre-pandemic, Russia was once Thailand’s…
- Tourism News
Russian invasion takes Thailand’s tourism forces by surprise
The Russians are coming! The recent mass Russian invasion of Thailand has taken the country’s tourism forces completely by surprise. Unexpected numbers of tourists from the war-torn county have tourism operators scrambling to cope with an army of independent travellers, more than capable of looking after themselves, and left commentators scrambling to occupy the moral high ground. Despite the ongoing…
- Tourism News
Aeroflot adds 14 more weekly Russian flights to Phuket
Less than two weeks after Russian airlines made their triumphant return to Phuket, Aeroflot has announced an increase in direct flights to the island. The flagship airline of Russia announced yesterday that it would be adding 14 new flights a week from Russia to Phuket. The exact start date of these new flights has not yet been confirmed, but the…
- Tourism News
Koh Samui sees influx of Russian tourism
With flights increasing from Russia to Thailand, Koh Samui is seeing an increase in European travellers. The holiday island expects to see a surge in Russian tourism in particular, especially in December to close out the year. Russian tourism has been a big revenue-producing staple of Koh Samui but was stymied by the Covid-19 pandemic and then the Russian invasion…
- Thailand video news
“Curb your enthusiasm: Thailand gets real over tourism” | GMT
Tourism operators are quite calm about the current situation in Thailand and are playing down the over optimistic coming tourism statistics being thrown around. The signs of the times, billboard advertisements are doing poorly. We look at the current real estate trends in Phuket and talk to developed Doug Ferguson about his development Trichada. Maya Bay close again and more…
- Thailand video news
Thailand Pass to be Scrapped for Thais? | GMT
The health minister will propose to the government to cancel the Thailand Pass but for Thais first? TAT says the country is still on track to hit 20 mil tourists this year. We look at the pandemic effects on Education in Thailand and a spirit house snafu. All this and more on today’s Good Morning Thailand.
- Thailand video news
Thai tourism to recover drastically by next year? | GMT
Thailand’s PM has pushed back the introduction of a 300 baht ‘entry fee’ for tourists. Thai PM expects tourism to recover to half of pre-pandemic levels by next year. Phuket is counting down to declaring Covid-19 an endemic disease. Thailand’s press freedom ranking improves this year. All this and more on todays Good Morning Thailand
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Today | Bangkok is easing its rules on alcohol sales
The Public Health Ministry says there’s no cause for concern after the BA2.2 Omicron sub-variant was reported in 4 Covid-19 patients in the kingdom. According to a report, the patients are 3 Thai nationals and a foreigner. The BA2.2 sub-variant was first discovered in Hong Kong, which is battling its worst Covid wave since the start of the pandemic and…
- Tourism News
Thousands of Russians stranded in Thailand due to flight cancellations, sanctions
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says thousands of Russian holidaymakers are stranded in the kingdom as flight cancellations and sanctions over the war on Ukraine hit hard. According to Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya from the TAT, there are currently 3,100 Russian tourists stranded on Phuket, over 2,000 on Koh Samui, as well as Russian holidaymakers in Krabi, Phang Nga, and…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Today | Thai govt assists Ukrainian and Russian tourists
The Thai government says over 7,000 Ukrainian and Russian tourists affected by flight cancellations will be allowed to extend their visas free of charge. It’s one of a number of measures officials are implementing to help visitors stranded as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Other measures potentially include offering shelter and access to a Chinese payment platform. The…
- Tourism News
Thai government looking at ways to help stranded Ukrainian, Russian tourists
The Thai government says over 7,000 Ukrainian and Russian tourists affected by flight cancellations will be allowed to extend their visas free of charge. It’s one of a number of measures officials are implementing to help visitors stranded as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Other measures potentially include offering shelter and access to a Chinese payment platform, according…
- Tourism News
Phuket, Krabi resorts no longer accepting credit cards from Russian guests
Resorts and hotels in tourist destinations such as Krabi and Phuket are no longer accepting credit cards from Russian guests, according to a Thai PBS World report. The decision comes after 7 Russian banks were excluded from the SWIFT financial global messaging system, leaving many Russians overseas unable to use their credit cards. Card providers Mastercard and Visa have also…
- Phuket News
Russians the top demographic in Phuket, will likely remain so
Over the Christmas holiday, Russian tourists were the number 1 demographic in Phuket, and with the tightening restrictions on entry to Thailand except for the Phuket Sandbox, that trend is expected to continue into the New Year holiday and beyond. Before the whole Covid pandemic kicked off, pre-2019, Russians were already a major tourism force in Phuket. Now, after being…
- Phuket News
First flight from Russia lands in Phuket today with 275 travellers
Phuket just welcomed the first international flight arriving from Russia as an Aeroflot flight from Moscow landed at Phuket International Airport today. 275 passengers rode the inaugural flight since Russia was added to the list of 63 approved Test & Go countries that can travel to Thailand without quarantine (aside from an overnight wait for a negative RT-PCR test in…
- Tourism News
Tourism calls for Russia and India to be added to safe list
Now that the 46 countries that can enter Thailand on November 1 without quarantine have been announced, many in the tourism industry are calling for some notable absences to be added to the list. Tourism groups in major travel hubs are calling on the government to add Russia and India to the list of approved countries, believing it will massively…
- Covid-19 News
Russia to allow flights to resume to certain countries, including Thailand
From November 9, Russia will allow the resumption of commercial flights to Thailand and a number of other countries. Also on the list are the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Iran, Slovenia, and Oman, according to a report from Reuters and AFP. International commercial flights were grounded last year as Covid-19 took hold. Other restrictions have been eased since then, but the…
- Tourism News
Tourism officials push for resumption of Russia flights in last quarter
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says it’s essential that commercial flights between Russia and Thailand be allowed to resume during the last quarter of the year. However, under Thailand’s emergency decree, international flights can only operate as semi-commercial, with limited seat capacity. Khanittha Phanworawat from the TAT’s Moscow office says this means the Russian aviation authority is still not allowing…
- Phuket News
Phuket tourism operators more hopeful after Sputnik approval
Phuket’s tourism operators are feeling slightly more confident about the last quarter of the year, following the approval of the Sputnik V vaccine. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has added the Russian vaccine to the list of vaccines that will be accepted when granting entry to foreign tourists arriving through the Phuket’s sandbox scheme. Thailand’s tourism sector has taken…
