russian tourists

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya tragedy: Tourist killed, wife critical after speeding bike crash

    Pattaya tragedy: Tourist killed, wife critical after speeding bike crash

    A romantic evening turned into a nightmare for a Russian couple in Pattaya when a speeding motorcycle ploughed into them as they crossed the street hand in hand. The foreign rider struck them at high speed, killing the husband instantly and leaving his wife in critical condition. The accident happened just before midnight yesterday, January 29 on Jomtien Second Road,…

  • Tourism NewsThailand anticipates record 2.2 million Russian tourists in 2024

    Thailand anticipates record 2.2 million Russian tourists in 2024

    Thailand’s tourism sector is set to witness a surge in Russian travellers, with projections indicating a record 2.2 million arrivals next year, buoyed by a new 60-day visa-free scheme. However, a shortage of aircraft in Russian airlines poses a challenge, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). In 2025, TAT aims for a 7.5% increase in revenue, targeting 39…

  • Thailand NewsThai policeman accused of brutally abusing cat in Phuket

    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 deathsRussian tourist dies in Phuket motorbike crash near Big Buddha

    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 NewsPolice crackdown on kidnapping for crypto ransom in Phuket, Thailand

    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…

  • Phuket NewsTraffic police officer involved in accident with Russian tourist in Phuket

    Traffic police officer involved in accident with Russian tourist in Phuket

    An unexpected accident in Phuket involved a traffic police officer and a Russian tourist’s car, just south of Heroines monument. The incident, which took place yesterday, saw the officer barely escape severe harm. The officer, Police Staff Sergeant Rattanachai Promkhwan, is a traffic police officer assigned to the Heroines Monument. The accident occurred while he was responding to a separate…

  • Thailand NewsRussian tourists survive as tour boat sinks off Coral Island

    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 NewsKo Mai Thon speedboat accident: Captain found drug positive

    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,…

  • Phuket NewsRussian foreign minister arrives in Phuket

    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…

  • Tourism NewsRussian tourism faces a slowdown in Thai markets amid Moscow’s political tension

    Russian tourism faces a slowdown in Thai markets amid Moscow’s political tension

    Amid heightened political tensions in Moscow, the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) observes a potential slowdown in Russian tourists to Thailand, although an increase in long-term stay visitors is also predicted if the situation worsens further. To comprehend the short-term market movements of Russian tourism in detail, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has instructed its Moscow office to…

  • World NewsBali requests no visas-on-arrival for Russians, Ukrainians

    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 NewsRecord numbers of Russian tourists affect economy

    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…

  • Pattaya NewsRussian tourists spot foreigner’s body floating off Pattaya beach

    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…

  • Pattaya NewsTour boat allegedly leaves Russian family stranded on island off Pattaya

    Tour boat allegedly leaves Russian family stranded on island off Pattaya

    Tour boat allegedly left Russian family stranded, photo by The Pattaya News. A tour boat company allegedly left a Russian family of six stranded on an island off Pattaya yesterday. Thai media reported that there were four adults and two children in the family. The family, who remained anonymous to the press, said they rented a speedboat only identified by…

  • Tourism NewsRussians take Thailand by storm

    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 NewsRussian invasion takes Thailand’s tourism forces by surprise

    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 NewsKoh Samui sees influx of Russian tourism

    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…

  • Tourism NewsRussian airline Aeroflot resuming flights from Moscow to Phuket

    Russian airline Aeroflot resuming flights from Moscow to Phuket

    After halting flights due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Aeroflot is now planning on relaunching service from Russia to Phuket. The Russian airline will start its daily flight service from Moscow to Phuket on October 30, to shepherd Russians to the tropics to escape the cold of winter. Earlier this year, Aeroflot was joined with other Russian airlines in…

  • Thailand video news“Curb your enthusiasm: Thailand gets real over tourism” | GMT

    “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 newsThailand Pass to be Scrapped for Thais? | GMT

    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 newsThailand News Today | Bangkok is easing its rules on alcohol sales

    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…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket tourism official reports low number of calls to Russian, Ukrainian helpline

    Phuket tourism official reports low number of calls to Russian, Ukrainian helpline

    An official from the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Phuket office says most Russian and Ukrainian tourists on the southern island appear to be “coping”. Nanthasiri Ronasiri says there have not been that many calls to a hotline set up specifically to help tourists stranded by cancelled flights or facing financial problems as a result of sanctions on Russia. Russia’s invasion…

  • Tourism NewsThousands of Russians stranded in Thailand due to flight cancellations, sanctions

    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 newsThailand News Today | Thai govt assists Ukrainian and Russian tourists

    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 NewsPhuket, Krabi resorts no longer accepting credit cards from Russian guests

    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…

  • World NewsRussian flights keep arriving in Thailand, for now

    Russian flights keep arriving in Thailand, for now

    Aeroflot, Ural Airlines and S7 Airline planes are still arriving on schedule in Thailand today as nothing has changed, thus far, as flights into Thai airports from Russia are concerned. But Thailand’s tourism tzars continue to monitor Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as the world looks to ways of pressuring and sanctioning Russia, including access to its airlines across the world.…

  • Phuket NewsRussians the top demographic in Phuket, will likely remain so

    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 NewsFirst flight from Russia lands in Phuket today with 275 travellers

    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…

  • Covid-19 NewsRussia to allow flights to resume to certain countries, including Thailand

    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…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya tourism focusing on Russian and Indian travellers

    Pattaya tourism focusing on Russian and Indian travellers

    Chinese travellers have been the bread-and-butter for Pattaya tourism, but with Covid-19 restrictions, The Pattaya Business and Tourism Association is focusing on Indian and Russian tourists instead for the planned reopening on October 1. The president of the PBTA had announced that while other cities and provinces have postponed reopening plans, Pattaya stands ready to reopen to international travellers in…