“Tourist flow from Russia to Thailand in the first quarter of this year decreased within the limits of statistical error - by 0.56%, while tourists' expenses decreased by 1.6%”, Phuket News reported. In March, Russian tourists made 194.5 thousand trips to Thailand, which is 1.3% less than in the same month last year. At the same time, the spending of Russians decreased by 3.3% to 12.9 billion baht ($ 400 million). 

The largest volume of transportation to Thailand from Moscow during low season is performed by Biblio-Globus tour operator - two weekly flights of Rossiya Airlines to Phuket and Bangkok. Thus, flights to Phuket will be operated from April 15 to April 22 three times a week, from April 23 to October 25, two times a week. The flight program of the tour operator to Bangkok will be carried out twice a week (Tuesday, Friday). 

Minimum prices for summer Thailand are indeed lower than in winter, and this gives a hope for tour operators for some activation of sales after the May holidays. Now tour operators can sell tours for 7 nights in a 3* hotel in Thailand with departures in June or September from 66 thousand Rubles up to 74 thousand Rubles (912 – 1,022 Euros) for two persons. 

Thanks to the special offers from the hoteliers of Thailand, now there are a lot of hotels at attractive prices in the range of tour operators, but the leading players cautiously arrange flight programs. Meanwhile, experts say that next winter, prices for tours to Thailand will be significantly higher than they were this winter. 

Thailand is the most popular foreign destination for the Russian travelers this New Year festive season, the Russian Association of Tour Operators (ATOR) has said. Among the domestic destination Sochi turned out as the most popular winter resort, the tourism industry Association revealed. 

For the period after the New Year holidays the demand on the travel market traditionally decreases - as a result, tours are also becoming cheaper. However, in the middle of January 2019 tour operators could contain a drop in prices on the Thai destination. 

“Nowadays the experts are noting a robust growth in demand by about 10% for winter holidays in all destinations,” the executive director of ATOR, Maya Lomidze said. Data from ATOR Analytical Service allows us to talk about the increased demand for winter destinations. Totally, the growth in demand for winter tours in all areas (domestic and outbound) currently exceeds by 10–15% the last year’s indicators.

Tour operators report that news about the possible opening of Egypt has not influenced on sales of tours to the resorts in Thailand. Among the largest players on the destination the volume of early booking tours to Thailand for the winter season already exceeds the last year’s one by tens of percent.

This is 26% higher than last year's result. This forecast was presented by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of this country. According to the latest statistics, over the first eight months of this year Thailand has already been visited by 950.8 thousand tourists from Russia.

In large networks of travel agencies note a decrease in the volume of realization of tours to Thailand on New Year's dates. As Elina Zeveleva, head of the financial settlements centre of MGP retails, told, according to the agencies of her company for the period from the beginning of the year till September 25.

The average price for round flight Moscow - Bangkok for the New Year dates increased by 24%. Last year the cost of air tickets for January 1-10 was at the level of 27,245 Rubles ($ 414) and this year is 33,964 Rubles ($ 515) (for one person).

In Thailand the low season continues, but the Russian tourist flow step by step is moving closer to the mark of 1 million people who came to rest in this country. According to the report of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, for seven months of 2018 the country hosted 900,700 citizens of Russia, which is 16.24% higher than for the same period of 2017.

Tour operators plan to increase their flight programs to Thailand. Almost all leading tour operators declared that their volumes are higher than in the winter season last year. PEGAS Touristik plans to fly to Bangkok from 33 cities of Russia (last year - from 21 cities), from Moscow - 4 times a week.

Thailand remains the leader of booking tours for the winter season, tour operators forecast sales growth from 5 to 20% in comparison with the last year. The weakening of the ruble and increased competition with other exotic destinations can correct the growth rate, but only the opening of Egypt is capable to seriously affect sales of this direction.

The flow of tourists from Russia to Thailand for the first six months of this year was about 851 thousand people, exceeding the figure of the same period of the previous year by 18.3%. In total, from the beginning of the year Russian tourists brought Thailand about 67.9 billion baht, which is 19.6% higher than last year's figure.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand published official data concerning the tourist flow from abroad in January-April 2018. According to the department's report, in January-April the Kingdom has hosted 745,398 citizens from Russia, which is more than half of the total tourist flow to Thailand from Russian Federation in 2017 (1.356 million people).

“The tourist flow from Russia to Thailand in April 2018 increased by 19% in comparison with the same month of the last year”, said the Ministry of Sport and Tourism of Thailand. In April the country was visited by 126.4 thousand Russians, which is 19% more than for the same month a year earlier.

For the period from January 1 to March 31, 2018 more than 303 thousand Russian citizens visited the resort island of Phuket in Thailand. It is a 47% increase in comparison with the same period of the previous year. The corresponding information was published by the consulting company C9 Hotelworks.

The foreign tourist flow to Thailand by the end of 2017 reached 35.38 million people and 1.34 million of these numbers were visitors from Russia. Although this figure is below the maximum of pre-crisis indicators this is the best result for the last three years. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the country published appropriate preliminary data before the New Year holidays. The document also contains a forecast for the next year, based on the data for the period from January 1 to December 23, 2017 and previous years' experience.

“Almost 55 thousand Russian tourists visited Thailand in August 2017, which is 3.3% more than in the same month a year earlier”, - according to the report of the country's Ministry of Tourism. According to the agency, in August 3.13 million foreigners visited Thailand or 8.7% more than in the same period of the last year, and they spent 11.7% more money in the country.

“The flow of tourists from Russia to Thailand from January to July this year increased by almost a third, reaching a mark of 800 thousand people”, - said Russian Ambassador to Thailand Kyril Barsky. "Over the seven months of this year the number of tourists increased by 29%, reaching almost 800 thousand people.