Phuket is hoping to lure visitors from Saudi Arabia and Australia

The lack of direct flights is the most significant impediment to Australians visiting the Land of Smiles. Following Thailand’s massive efforts to entice Saudi tourists to the nation, the tourism industry in Phuket is anticipating a surge in Saudi visitors. It also hopes to attract more Australian visitors, who have long been a mainstay of the island’s tourism industry. Australia is currently the second largest market for Phuket, according to Suladda Sarutilavan, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Sydney office. Last month, Indians were reported to be Phuket’s largest group of visitors, a trend that has been expanding since the start of the year and the reintroduction of daily flights from major Indian cities.

There are now only direct flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Phuket and Bangkok. According to Suladda, TAT encouraged Thai Airways to begin direct flights from Perth, where demand for flights to Phuket is high. He asserted that Bali, Fiji, and Vietnam are all formidable competitors. The Foreign Ministry is working on issuing Saudis visa waivers, according to Chaiwat. As a result of the visa exemptions, he believes that the number of Saudi visitors visiting Thailand might reach 200,000 each year. In the first 18 days of May, 4,951 Australian travelers were reported to have visited Phuket. Meanwhile, TAT’s director for Dubai and the Middle East office projected that from June to August, the number of Middle Eastern visitors visiting Thailand would rise. Between May 1 and May 25, 11,994 Saudi tourists arrived in Thailand for the Eid al-Fitr vacation (the end of Ramadan). Phuket tourism authorities are crossing their fingers for such promises as they prepare to host two big tourism events in the next week. TAT is aiming its marketing efforts towards Australian digital nomads, millennials, wellness tourists, wedding and honeymoon vacations, and sports enthusiasts. On June 6-8, the Thailand Tourism Congress 2022 will be held, followed by the Thailand Travel Mart Plus 2022 on June 8-10. From June to July, TAT is collaborating with Wego, a renowned online travel agency with over one million monthly users, and Saudia on a sales drive.