Thailand will host 1.7 million Russian tourists by the end of 2018

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. Russia retains the position of the largest supplier of tourists beyond Asia. According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, from January to August of this year the flow of tourists to Thailand from Russia increased by 14.65% compared with the same period last year and by 46% compared with the same months of 2016. From January to August 2017, Thailand was visited by 829.3 thousand Russians, and for the same period of 2016 - 651.8 thousand. According to Thai experts, taking into account the average tourist flow rate per month as 50 thousand people during the high tourist season in Thailand, the Russian tourist flow will reach 1 million people for the first nine months of 2018. In 2017, Thailand planned to host more than 1.35 million Russian holidaymakers (total) by the end of 2018. However, with a high probability, in 2018 the number of tourists from Russia will reach 1.74 million. Earlier, a similar forecast was given by the Russian ambassador to Thailand, Kirill Barsky. “Considering that for the first seven months (the results of eight months have not yet been published) - even before the high season - Thailand has already hosted 900 thousand of Russian tourists. I think that the total figures will reach 1, 6–1.7 million tourists,” he said in an interview with TASS. The largest 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 traffic last year (1.35 million) was the third best result in the entire history of Russian tourism in Thailand. This year it is expected that the Russian tourist flow will return to the best pre-crisis indicators. In the winter season 2018-2019 the Russian tour operators significantly expanded the volume of air transportation and hotel base on this winter destination.