OREANDA-NEWS  Thailand received 1.48 million Russian tourists in 2023, which is 10 thousand more than in the pre-pandemic 2019, demand for the destination in 2024 will also be high, the Russian Union of Tourism Industry reports, citing data from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

1.47 million Russians visited Thailand in 2019, and 435 thousand in 2022.

"Tour operators note that demand for the destination exceeded expectations all last year, and now Russians continue to actively book Thailand until the end of the winter season," the union noted.

According to Dmitry Gorin, Vice President of the PCT, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vipservice Holding, Thailand was sold very actively throughout 2023, its volumes almost doubled during the autumn months.

"The Russian market is recovering faster than all non-Asian ones. This is facilitated, first of all, by the visa-free regime and the abundance of transportation. Thai airlines do not operate direct flights to Russia, but Russian carriers have provided both regular and charter flights from a large number of cities in the Urals, Siberia and the Far East. At the same time, there is still demand for connecting flights," he said.

The expert believes that demand for Thailand will be high in 2024.

"Together with the UAE, Egypt, Sri Lanka and Turkey, it is now in the top 5 in sales. In 2024, we expect growth of at least 10% compared to last year," Gorin explained.

Other tour operators also note that demand for the destination remains high in 2024.

"Thailand is selling as briskly for the rest of January and February as it did for the entire previous year. Moreover, tourists take direct charter flights, regular and connecting flights. Among the features of demand, I would note the growing interest in lesser-known islands and resorts in Thailand, to the north of the country, from where you can go on sightseeing trips to Cambodia," said Daria Domostroeva, Director of Public Relations at Intourist tour operator.

One of the main incentives for the growth of tourist traffic, in her opinion, is extensive transportation.

"There are many flights, including connecting Arab and Chinese airlines. In general, the average check has hardly changed compared to last year and is $1,200 per person with an expensive one. At the same time, the vast majority of the cost of the package falls on the flight, it costs about $ 1 thousand. Nevertheless, thanks to the huge choice of accommodation, Thailand remains the most affordable vacation option in Southeast Asia. For example, the average check for Hainan is from $ 1800," Domostroeva explained.

She added that competition between Asian destinations is escalating.

"Russians love Thailand very much, and the deferred demand has not yet been fully realized, it will remain high. But since the end of December, direct flights have been flying to the Chinese resort island of Hainan. You can't call it a direct competitor of Thailand, but it will definitely receive some part of its flow. At the same time, Aeroflot launched a flight program to Hong Kong, which also expands opportunities to get to other Southeast Asian countries. Direct flights to Vietnam begin at the end of January, and we see that there are many people who want to. Sri Lanka has introduced free visas for Russians, and Maldives hotels are literally competing to provide tourists with the best discounts. So I don't see any prerequisites for the same rapid growth in the tourist flow this year, as it was in 2023," Domostroeva said.

In total, Thailand received 28 million foreign tourists in 2023. The largest number came from Malaysia (4.56 million), China (3.5 million) in second place, South Korea (1.65 million) in third, followed by India (1.61 million), Russia closes the top five.