National —Russian tourists pack charter flights to Pattaya and Phuket
Russian tourists packed Azur Airline and Ikar Airline flights to Pattaya and Phuket, with the expected number of Russian tourists flying to Thailand to reach one million people next year.
Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, Deputy Governor at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), revealed that many large Russian airlines have resumed their charter flights to Thailand, which will result in an increase in Russian tourists in tourist areas like Pattaya and Phuket.
The tourism atmosphere will become busier at the end of this year, according to Siripakorn, with the number of Russian tourists heading for Thailand expected to reach the pre-Covid-19 level at one million people next year.
Thanet Suparashasrangsi, chairman of the Chonburi Council of Tourism Industry, said Pattaya tourism will greatly benefit from the Russian charter flights to the U-Tapao International Airport.
He expected the hotel occupancy rate in the city will increase to 60% over its current average rate of 40-50%.
“The Azur Airline will start bringing in charter flights from November 26th on B757 carriers, which can hold about 202 passengers and will improve the number of tourists in Pattaya significantly,” Thanet stated.