Roadshows target Middle East
THE PHUKET TOURIST ASSOCIATION will arrange tourist promotion roadshows in Saudi Arabia and Oman after impressive recent growth in tourist numbers from those areas, PTA President Thaneth Tantipiriyakij, said on Dec 12.
The roadshows would be sponsored by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO) as part of the PTA’s overseas market promotion plan.
Mr Thaneth said similar roadshows arranged during this year’s low season targeted mainly Russian and Middle Eastern visitors.
The growth in Saudi Arabian tourists in Phuket was significant, said Mr Thaneth. It was up “thousands of percent” since earlier this year.
Two other markets in which the PTA had strong interest were Kazakhstan and India.
Mr Thaneth said at least 70% of Kazakhstani visitors to Thailand headed to Phuket, which had led to an increase in the number of direct flights from Kazakhstan to the island.
The visa-free scheme offered to Chinese and Kazakhstani visitors in September was a major factor in the 300-400% growth in the number of Kazakh tourists, he said.
Growth was also expected in the Indian market, given its huge population, rapidly recovering economy, and the fact it is only a four-hour flight from Phuket.
Some overlap in Thai and Indian cuisine and other familiar facets of the two cultures also contributed to the close relationship, Mr Thaneth said.
Eyeing the future, Mr Thaneth said PTA planned promotions in Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China.
He said Chinese tourists now tended to prefer longer stays, but it was not expected their numbers would soon rebound to prepandemic levels. It was currently around 30%. He expected this to climb to 60% to 70%.
The announcement came just days before the inaugural Air Arabia flight from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates landed at Phuket International Airport on Dec 16.
The tourists disembarked Flight G9 687 at the international passenger terminal at 7:55am. The number of passengers is estimated at 215 maximum as the route is serviced by Airbus A321 Neo LR aircraft.
Air Arabia will now operate four direct flights between Phuket and Sharjah every week, said an official report of the arrival issued by AOT Ground Aviation Services Company (AOTGA) of the Airports of Thailand (AOT).
From Jan 1 through Oct 31 this year, arrivals from the UAE reached 117,746 visitors, compared with 51,365 in 2022, according to the latest statistics publicly posted by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
Arrivals from the Middle East reached 506,928 guests, compared with 238,347 last year. The Phuket News