In 2019 tourist flow from Russia to Thailand remained at the last year level, according to Thai Sports and Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, and as of December 27, 2019 Thailand hosted 39 million tourists (last year - 38 million).
The Thai Tourism Authority (TAT) predicts that in 2020, Thailand will host 40,8 million tourists (an increase of + 2.5%), and tourism revenue will increase by 3%, amounting to 2,02 trillion baht.
In 2019, according to TAT, the number of Russian tourist arrivals in Thailand remained almost at the level of last year, amounting to 1,47 million. Income from the Russian tourist flow amounted to more than 100 billion baht. 41% of Russian tourists in Thailand (611 thousand) chose Phuket in 2019.
According to preliminary data from ATOR Analytical Service, at least 60% of the total Russian tourist flow to Thailand with a volume of 1,47 million tourists was served by tour operators (only the winter flight program was designed for a minimum of 735 thousand seats).
The largest volume of tourist flow from Russia to Thailand was recorded in 2013 and 2012, when the country was visited by 1,74 million and 1,61 million Russians, respectively. The volume of tourist flow in 2018 (1,47 million) was the third best result in the history of Russian tourism in Thailand. In 2019, the result was repeated.
In general, the Thai authorities predict a decline in volumes from the Russian market in 2020, due to the difficult economic situation in Russia, which is forcing Russian tourists to choose closer destinations instead of Thailand, such as Turkey - where their spending for vacation is lower.
Nevertheless, the TAT expects that in 2020 Thailand will be able to change the structure of tourist flow from Russia. This, according to Srisouda Vanapinhosak, deputy director of TAT, can be achieved by attracting more new tourists from such regional cities of the Russian Federation as Vladivostok, Irkutsk, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk - thanks to the launch of new charter flights from these departure points in 2020.
