In anticipation of the start of the high season, one of the largest tour operators on the island, Pegas Touristik, held a conference for ‘Russian’ travel agencies. The event was attended by about 300 representatives of Russian companies involved in organising trips to Phuket.
The idea behind the event was to discuss the prospects of tourism development in Greater Phuket, which is now one of the most popular destinations for Russian nationals.
According to statistics released by the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), Thailand ranked first among internet queries for overseas tours during the New Year, with a share of around 16 per cent.
While the market is still growing, Pegas Touristik said that in the future, development may slow.
According to Pegas Touristik Thailand’s Head of Booking and Contracts, Baki Colpan, in 2012 the kingdom was visited by about 500,000 tourists from Russia, with 60 per cent of them using the services of Pegas Touristik. In 2013, more than 800,000 Russian arrivals are anticipated.
It’s worth nothing that the official statistics provided by Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for 2012 differ substantially from the figures given by Pegas Touristik.
According to the TAT, last year the country attracted more than 1 million Russians. The discrepancy is difficult to explain, however it is possible that by ’Russian tourists’, the TAT are in fact referring to all Russian-speaking citizens of the countries of the former Soviet Union.
Mr Colpan believes Phuket will soon begin to lose popularity.
“Phuket has become more dangerous and too crowded. In 2012, Phuket had 180,000 Russian tourists, in 2013 the number is expected to grow to 240,000 Russians, but that will be the peak, the numbers will not continue to grow,” he said.
In Thailand, Pegas say that Phuket and Pattaya are currently the most visited destinations, but they feel that the preferences of Russians in the next few years may change. Mr Colpan predicts that soon the most popular regions for Russian tourists will instead be Samui and Krabi.
“On Samui there is wonderful nature and good entertainment for young people. I am confident that Samui and Krabi are the next most popular regions of Thailand. Already there is a tendency that people come back again and again [to these places],” Mr Cholpan said.
Mr Colpan said the largest source of Russian tourists to Thailand are from the Far East and Siberia.
“The bulk of arrivals come from the cities of Novosibirsk and Kemerovo,” said Mr Colpan.
“For Siberians, flights to Thailand are much closer and cheaper than, for example, to Turkey. But for people living in Moscow the opposite is true.”
According to the Pegas representative, in 2012, more than 200,000 people came to Thailand from the Russian Far East and Siberia, approximately 60 per cent of all Pegas Touristik tour packages to Thailand.
On the Thai government’s measures to curb the flow of budget tourists from China, the company said that they are unlikely to introduce similar rules for Russians.
Regarding other initiatives by the authorities, such as the proposed B500 fee for tourists entering the country, Pegas does not see it as a substantial threat to their business.
“I believe that the Thai authorities will be careful about blocking the flow of tourists from Russia, as this is a very profitable segment of the tourism market for the country,” said Mr Colpan.
“In addition, if measures are taken, Russians may instead choose to visit Vietnam, China, the Maldives, Goa, and Bali,” said Mr Colpan – countries where Pegas Touristik coincidentally also has operations.
–Eleanor Pakhomov