Phuket Steady as Pattaya Declines

When the Tourism Authority of Thailand recently announced that tourist arrivals in Pattaya fell by 30% year-on-year in the first quarter and will likely drop even more in the second quarter, the widespread assumption was all of Thailand was being similarly hurt by high airfares and fears of recession. Apparently that’s not the case.

At a conference this week, TAT said hotel occupancy rates in Phuket are holding steady compared with last year. Occupancy is running between 40% and 55%, which TAT says is about average for low season on the island. “Tourists visiting Phuket this low season are come mostly from Australia, the Middle East, India, Hong Kong, China, Korea and Japan. The number of Japanese visitors is increasing, partially in response to the reopening of the direct Narita-Phuket route in July, which has seen load factors averaging about 90%,” the Phuket Gazette wrote.

A TAT official did acknowledge tourists are spending less, but at least there are tourists there…