According to bookings data collected by her office, 152,691 visitors were expected to arrive in Phuket over the long weekend, which began on Thursday (Oct 13), Ms Nanthasiri said.
In total, 24,370 international passengers were booked to arrive on 137 flights operated by 29 airlines. A further 28,038 domestic passengers were booked to arrive on 217 flights operated by seven domestic airlines, she said.
The load factor for the flights arriving over the four days ranged from 70%-90%, Ms Nanthasiri added.
Altogether, the volume of tourists landing on the island over the break was expected to generate about B2.19bn, Ms Nanthasiri said.
However, the room occupancy rate during the four days was still expected to remain fairly low, at 39.16%, with the average room stay hovering at about 2.3 nights per person, she added.
Phuket’s beaches remained a key attraction, as did the Sino-Portuguese style buildings in Phuket Town, Ms Nanthasiri said.
“Tourists are coming to swim in the sea and walk along the beach. There are beach guards to take care of the safety of tourists at every beach,” she said.
“In Phuket Town, in addition to seeing the beauty of the local architecture, people also come for shopping, to buy local products and souvenirs,” she added.
The island’s piers were busy with visitors visiting local islands, Ms Nanthasiri noted.
“Especially Chalong Pier, which has both Thai and foreign tourists embarking on boat trips to the nearby islands, such as Coral Island, Racha Island, among others,” she said.