Amid heightened political tensions in Moscow, the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) observes a potential slowdown in Russian vacationers to Thailand, although a rise in long-term stay guests is also predicted if the scenario worsens additional. To comprehend the short-term market movements of Russian tourism intimately, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has instructed its Moscow office to keep a vigilant watch over the evolving scenario.
Russian tourism showed a decline in June, with arrivals falling to roughly 2,000 each day, dropping from the four,000 to 5,000 observed in earlier months. This information aligns with the truth that the height season for Russian tourists had already concluded, as said by the president of ATTA, Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn.
As of June 25, data from the Thai Tourism and Sports Ministry registered 784,428 arrivals from Russia this 12 months. This Russian tourism figure trailed behind Malaysian and Chinese visitors, who totalled 1.98 million and 1.38 million respectively, thus taking the lead.
Sisdivachr further commented that political instability in Russia might not necessarily impression the variety of visitors within the months forward. However, there exists potential for decreased average spending inside this demographic if the Russian ruble continues to devalue, noting a 15-month trough earlier this week, thereby impacting Russian tourism, reported Bangkok Post.
An fascinating perspective was supplied by Sisdivachr indicating that the present political upheaval might not totally undermine Thai tourism. Secure that regardless of preliminary assumptions predicting the Russia-Ukraine battle would deter Russian tourism in Thailand, the market remained robust leading into this 12 months.
He explained, “Economic impacts stemming from political uncertainties in Russia would definitely have an result on middle-income earners. However, these with high spending power are in search of long-stay journeys abroad.” Elaborating on this point, he stated that “Many of them bought properties in southern Thailand this 12 months and extra of them are considering buying a second residence right here to flee from potential unrest in the future.”
Yuthasak Supasorn, the TAT governor, confirmed that monitoring of Russian occasions is ongoing, with a particular concentrate on incidents that could influence people’s journey choices. The Russian tourism instability started to unfold at a time in shut proximity to the conclusion of the “Amazing Thailand Roadshow to CIS 2023” advertising programme by the TAT in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, from June 19 to June 23..