russian tourism thailand

Thailand’s Tourist Towns Deal With Their Own Russian Invasion

I t’s just past 11 p.m. on Phuket’s neon-festooned Bangla Road and revelers are out in force, though the heady atmosphere is distinctly more Sochi than Southeast Asia. TVs overhanging the sprawling beer bars show ice skating instead of soccer; Cyrillic signage proliferates; and Russian-speaking touts dispense flyers for pole-dancing clubs exclusively featuring women from former Soviet republics. “Russians, Ukrainian, Belorussian, Kazakhs,” says one tout in dark Ray Bans and a skin-tight Armani polo shirt. “We have them all here.”

The war in Ukraine has entailed an incalculable human toll, while roiling markets, disrupting supply chains, and sending inflation soaring across the globe. But in Thailand, the two-year-old conflict is also having a profound social effect despite being over 4,000 miles away. While many Western nations have shut out Russian air travel in response to Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Thailand sees Russian arrivals as key to reviving its pandemic-ravaged tourism industry. In October, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin extended 90-day visas upon arrival for Russian passports, insisting in a February interview : “We’re not part of the [Ukraine] conflict. We are neutral.”

Read More: 5 Takeaways from TIME’s Conversation with Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin

Last year, Russians ranked top for tourist arrivals in Thailand from outside of Asia with 1.4 million visitors. Meanwhile, Russians were top overall on the southern resort island of Phuket, which has long been a favorite haunt. Last July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Phuket to inaugurate a new consulate to cope with surging visitor numbers. A month later, the Phuket Tourist Association sent a delegation to St. Petersburg and Moscow seeking to court even more vacationers.

In the first three months of this year, 366,095 Russians arrived at Phuket International Airport, almost double the same period of 2023 and transforming the island’s commercial and social life. (That figure doesn’t include the significant number who transferred via Thailand’s main gateway of Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.) But while a boon for the macro economy, the influx has chafed with locals who increasingly complain that Russians are stealing jobs and upsetting cultural mores. Across Thailand, lurid headlines such as “ Rabid Russian assaults police team in Phuket after going berserk at a city centre hotel ” and “ Russian tourist kicks pregnant Thai woman after asked to leave shoes outdoor ” are both a symptom and cause of alarm. (However, transgressions involving New Zealand , Swiss , and Portuguese nationals admittedly proliferate also.)

“Russia and Thailand are so different and sometimes they don’t understand Thai law and culture,” Lieut. Colonel Akachai Siri, chief inspector of Phuket Tourist Police, tells TIME. “Sometimes they break the law and they don’t recognize we have law enforcement.”

Nevertheless, Thailand’s Russian incursion appears here to stay. Other than the preferential visas, sanctions on Russian air carriers and reciprocal bans on Western airlines have slashed the destinations where Russian nationals can escape their frigid winter, making already-popular Thailand an easier choice. And then there are the not inconsiderable numbers fleeing economic doldrums and a war of choice that they had no part in choosing—not least since the Kremlin has ramped up military conscription amid mounting casualties .

“That was the final straw for us,” says Mark, a Russian who fled to Thailand with his boyfriend after an initial draft announcement in September 2022 and asked that TIME use a pseudonym for security. “We understood we can’t go back because anyone can be called to the army and just die in the war.”

As a result, the number of Russians choosing to stay in Thailand long-term is soaring. Beyond 90-day visas upon arrival, thousands are applying for one-year business or education visas. Arnold, who asked that TIME use only one name for fear of reprisals in his homeland, moved from Moscow to the Thai resort town of Hua Hin permanently last year and has noticed an increase in what are colloquially termed “ relocants ” fleeing the “various negative things which are going on back home.”

The affluent are acquiring luxury cars and yachts and renting or purchasing villas. Phuket’s plush Laguna beachfront complex of villas, ornamental lake, and 18-hole golf course is now dubbed “Little Moscow,” says Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, advisory chairman to Phuket’s Tourist Association. Over half of all residents across its 1,000 acres are Russian, according to the Laguna real estate management office, which employs two native Russian speakers to deal with the shifting demographic. Across Phuket, real estate prices have bumped some 20% owing to the Russian influx, says Bhummikitti.

The incursion has also increased pressure on Akachai’s Tourist Police, which has only 60 officers to assist the 2,000-odd regular Royal Thai Police and 60 dedicated Immigration Police across both Phuket and the larger adjacent province of Pha Nga. In addition to swelling tourist numbers, whereas 60% of tourists before the pandemic traveled on tour groups with guides and agents on hand to smooth any problems, today, 70% are independent travelers, which means the Tourist Police are increasingly called to mediate all manner of conflicts.

Relaxed entry requirements have also attracted a criminal element. In early February, Phuket police arrested five suspected Russian gangsters for the kidnapping and extortion of over $800,000 in cryptocurrency from a Belarussian couple that Akachai says was retaliation for a financial dispute back home. And last month, a 42-year-old Russian man was found stabbed to death in a rented house that was being used as a cannabis farm. The chief suspect is a Tajikistani man who fled Thailand for Turkey just hours after the murder.

Yet Akachai says most crimes relate to illegal work involving Russians determined not to return home while the war rages but without the means to support themselves indefinitely—not least since international banking sanctions have rendered accessing savings more difficult. Many Russians have set themselves up as unofficial tour guides, car and motorbike rental services, real estate agents, hairdressers, or even sex workers, advertising online via Telegram groups.

Yet not all aspects of the phenomenon are troublesome. Other than Russians, a significant number of Ukrainians have fled their war torn nation for Thailand, potentially creating a tinderbox atmosphere. But Akachai says he has not encountered a single skirmish or negative incident between the two nationalities in Phuket. Yury Rozhkov, 46, a Russian national who works for a travel agency in Bangkok, says he regularly meets Ukrainians staying in his apartment building and relations are nothing but cordial.

“They understand it’s Putin, it’s not Russia, Russian people are different,” he says. “And I’m sure Russians who have money to travel to Thailand do not support Putin and the war in Ukraine.”

In Hua Hin, Arnold is a member of a Russian-language Telegram group with more than 4,500 members from across the former Soviet bloc, but he says he cannot recall a single politically charged message among the 400 or so posted every day. “99.9% of discussions are where to find the best pad thai, current prices in the local market, how to rent a car, or where to get a vaccine,” he says.

Perched by the main gate of Phuket’s Laguna resort, the d’Odessa restaurant serves Ukrainian syrniki pancakes and smoked salmon croissants slathered with gold leaf. The tablet menu has options for Ukrainian, English, and Russian—and staff say the majority of clientele speak the latter. “There are many Ukrainian restaurants filled with Russians in Phuket,” says Bhummikitti.

Ultimately, both sides caught up in this senseless conflict share a desire to stay out of harm’s way by whatever means necessary. Mark is still employed by his Russian IT company thanks to an understanding boss despite remote working being strictly against company policy. Every day he fears a draft ticket or internal enquiries by higher management could spell the end to that vital paycheck. If that happens, “I will try to find a local job or another [remote] job in Russia,” he says. “I will try every way I can not to go back.”

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Write to Charlie Campbell / Phuket, Thailand at [email protected]

Russians flock to Thailand as tourism rebounds from collapse

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Thousands of Russians scramble to leave Thailand as sanctions hit

Bangkok (AFP) – Thousands of Russian tourists in Thailand are struggling to find a route home, Thai officials said Sunday, as international sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine hit holiday-makers.

Issued on: 13/03/2022 - 11:32

Russia's invasion in February provoked a host of international measures targetting businesses and banks, with some Russian carriers cancelling flights and global payment firms suspending services.

Russians tourists have been among the largest group of visitors to return to Thailand's beachside resorts since pandemic restrictions eased, but many now find themselves without a return ticket.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) official Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya said 3,100 Russians were stuck in Phuket, while just over 2,000 were in Samui, and smaller numbers were in Krabi, Phang Nga and Bangkok.

The ministry was working on helping those who wanted to return home, he said, including "discussion on return flights which could be regular or special flights".

Russian tourist and mother-of-three Evgenia Gozorskaia said her family discovered their return Aeroflot tickets had been cancelled.

"We are very nervous because the children are very small, we don't have enough money to live here," said the 41-year-old psychologist who arrived from Moscow with her husband and children -- aged seven, four and two -- on February 27.

"We want to go tomorrow to the airport, but I don't know what the situation will be," she said from Phuket, adding that they were supposed to fly home March 28.

She said while some people had their tickets replaced others -- including her family -- had not been so lucky.

"They say that they cannot do it and put the phone off," she said.

While Thailand has not banned Russian flights, international airspace restrictions have seen some firms -- such as Russia's flagship Aeroflot -- cancelling services, leaving tourists to seek alternative routes, such as through the Middle East with different carriers.

Many tourists have also been hit by Visa and Mastercard suspending operations.

"We have seen instances of difficulty in card payments by Russians in Phuket due to how Mastercard and Visa have suspended services in Russia," said Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, president of the Phuket Tourist Association.

He said officials were considering adopting the Mir system -- a Russian electronic fund transfer structure -- as well as digital currencies.

Local communities across Thailand were also stepping in.

"We will pay for water, electric, everything for them," said Archimandrite Oleg, representative of the Orthodox Church in Thailand, who said they were helping at least one family with four children stranded in Koh Samui.

Pandemic travel curbs have hammered the kingdom's tourism-dominated economy, but 2022 saw a surge of visitors as restrictions eased.

Around 23,000 Russians travelled to Thailand in January this year, according to the country's Tourism and Sports Ministry.

Tourists from Russia previously accounted for the seventh-largest share of visitors to the kingdom, with around 1.5 million travelling to Thailand in 2019.

While Bangkok has backed a United Nations resolution calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, it has stopped short of imposing sanctions.

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Thailand's top beach destination is missing its Russian tourists — but not that badly

• Phuket, Thailand's biggest island, runs off tourism dollars.
• But businesses on the island say the disappearance of Russian tourists isn't hitting them too badly.
• Partly, it's a matter of timing: Russian tourists disappeared around the same time as Thailand's border restrictions loosened, so the total number of incoming tourists stayed flat.

Efe, who is originally from Turkey, has lived in Thailand for 12 years. He's the owner of the eponymously named Efe Turkish, which has three branches across Thailand. The newest location is in Phuket Town, and he launched it during the pandemic.

His menu is full of middle-eastern staples like tzatziki and gozleme, and his two-floor restaurant is dripping in homey decor that borders on the kitschy: faded armchairs, traditional fabrics, red and orange lanterns, a large plastic giraffe in a courtyard.

His restaurant is set up to seat 70 people, but when I went for lunch (twice, because the food was so good), I found plenty of empty seating. Covid is to blame, he told me in a conversation over the cash register in the back of his shop, but so is the war in Ukraine.

"It's already affecting us," he said of the war. "There are many Russians usually; now they're not coming."

In search of Russian tourism dollars

Phuket, Thailand's biggest island, runs on tourism dollars. Pre-pandemic, travel accounted for 80% of Phuket's economy and more than 300,000 jobs.

The island is separated from the west coast of mainland Thailand by a bridge, and with more than 30 beaches and an international airport, it's become one of the country's most-visited tourist destinations. It's only 13 miles wide at its widest point, but packed into the island are areas that range from a historic old town and a party town not unlike what you'd find on the Jersey shore, to an upscale beach area full of boutiques, resorts, and villas.

A significant portion of travelers to the island come from Russia. At least, they did, until the pandemic put a temporary stop to international travel.

In January, Russia accounted for 17% of the international arrivals in Phuket — more than any other country, preliminary data from Thailand's ministry of tourism and sports shows. Some 24,000 of the 133,000 international tourist arrivals in Phuket came from Russia. (The second-highest was Germany, with roughly 12,000 arrivals.)

Russian dominance in the arrivals market continued in February, albeit at a lower level, with close to 18,000 Russian arrivals in the country.

But then Russia invaded Ukraine. Countries closed their airspace to Russia. Airlines canceled flights to the country . Russian banks were disconnected from the global banking system . Unlike countries including the US , Singapore , and EU countries, Thailand has not imposed sanctions on Russia, but multiple media outlets reported in early March that thousands of Russians were stuck in Thailand, and on Phuket specifically, unable to access funds or get on flights because of sanctions. 

When I visited Phuket in the last week of March, I expected to find an island on the brink of its second tourism crisis — first the coronavirus , and then a dearth of Russian travelers — or at least in flux.

Instead, what I found was an atmosphere of tepid optimism across the tourism industry. While Phuket's tourism scene has been negatively impacted by the war in Ukraine, it's also seeing an unrelated boost, thanks to Thailand's decision to further relax border restrictions. After close to two years at a total tourism standstill, it seems Phuket's tourism scene may have a simple saving grace: timing.

One market drops out, but others open up

For multiple business owners I spoke to, Thailand's loosening travel restrictions came as a welcome respite from months of barely any business. They also came at the perfect time to counteract a drop in Russian arrivals. 

Bryan and his wife Pimnaree   are the second-generation owners of a spa chain called Kim's Massage & Spa. The chain has 10 family-run locations across Phuket. I met them at the spa's biggest Phuket outlet, an enormous space full of dark wood accents, natural light, and plants.

"The majority of tourists here are Russian," Bryan said, "or at least, they are Russian-speaking." He added that friends in the hotel industry on the island said they'd seen tourism numbers decline by 20% since the start of the war.

Bryan said that before the pandemic, this spa location often had more than 60 customers at a time. Since the pandemic started, he said, they had been operating at around 30% capacity. But he didn't express much concern over the disappearance of the Russian market.

"After the war started, the government opened up to more places, so there wasn't a total quantity drop," he said.

Tourist arrival numbers in Thailand were flat for the majority of 2021: No month from January to October recorded more than 3,000 monthly arrivals. Before the pandemic, international arrival numbers had been trending steadily up since 2014, and in no month since early 2014 did they dip below 200,000. 

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November 2021 saw a sudden spike in arrivals to nearly 10,000 people, corresponding to Thailand's  announcement that vaccinated tourists from five countries would not need to isolate upon entering the country. Tourist visits in December were just south of 25,000. January and February, in reaction to the omicron wave, were lower, though steady, around the 15,000 mark.

While loosened travel restrictions brought in international tourists, Efe described seeing a negative effect on his business in the domestic market.

"Before they opened the country, we had lots of expats coming from Chiang Mai, Bangkok," Efe said, referring to expats who were living in Thai cities and traveling domestically. "But now they opened the country, and already we're seeing fewer customers," he added, as locals and expats have since opted to travel abroad.

Snowbirders who are not the biggest spenders

There's another reason the disappearing Russian tourist segment might not be hitting Phuket too badly, and it, too, has to do with timing. By the time countries started hitting Russia with sanctions over the war, high season for Russian tourists in Phuket was tapering off.

"Russia is a snowbird market," Bill Barnett, the founder of Phuket-based hospitality consultancy C9 Hotelworks, told me. "It's November to March, and there's still 900,000 Russians living here," he said, referencing the large Russian community that lives full-time on the island.

Efe, too, mentioned the cyclical nature of tourism on the island: He likened a Phuket without Russian tourists not to a crisis, but to a non-stop low season.

The importance of Phuket's geography can't be overlooked when it comes to the island's ability to stay afloat, even in the face of this particular disappearing tourism segment, Barnett said.

"Phuket is geographically blessed," he said. "We're within six to eight hours of a third of the world's population. It's got a good airport." Forty-two airports across 20 countries have direct flights into Phuket.

Barnett also said that while Phuket does draw in the Russian market, China is the real driver on the island.

Chinese tourists are by the far biggest spenders in Phuket, 2019 tourism receipts by international arrivals compiled by the ministry of sports and tourism show. Tourists from China spent $531 million baht ($15.8 million) on the island that year. Tourists from Russia were the third-highest spenders, but clocking in at $103 million baht ($3.1 million), they're separated from China by a big margin.

"Phuket tourism is highly leveraged in the China market," Barnett said.

"We still have China," Barnett went on. "China's out there. In the good days, you'd have nearly 40 cities in China with door-to-door travel to Phuket."

But, he acknowledged, with China's city-wide lockdowns progressing even in 2022, it's hard to say where the tourism market will go next: "Nobody can know; nobody can say. It's the great unknown."

'It will never be like before'

That's not to say Phuket hasn't suffered in the pandemic: It has. Signs of the tourism industry's struggles were everywhere, from the boarded-up tourist info shops in town to the Phuket International Airport Burger King that was closed at 6 p.m. on a weekend.

The damage was especially evident in mom and pop shops. After lunch at Efe's restaurant, I stepped into a small, dark shop selling souvenirs. A woman sitting behind a booth full of tourism brochures drew up a chair for me and told me her name was Siriat. She had closed her business, she said, when the pandemic started, and had only just reopened it in December.

"It's not like before," she said. "It will never be like before. I had two employees; now I must support alone."

Like the other business owners, she could feel the impact of the war: "Before, I met some Ukrainian and Russian tourists. After the war started, almost zero," she said. "Finished." However, she said Covid was the real problem, as was the internet, which has made her business redundant.

It's possible that the loss of Russian tourism dollars doesn't seem like a crisis because it's coming on the back of the astronomical health and tourism crisis that Covid has been. It's also possible that the effects of the loss of the Russian tourism market just are not visible yet in Phuket; after all, the Russian tourism market is seasonal, and the beginning of the war coincided with the beginning of end of Russian high season in Phuket.

"There's still liquidity in the market," Barnett said. "There's still liquidity keeping hotels open. And there's still domestic consumption."

"Hotel owners now aren't making money, but they're losing less," he added.

As for the spa business, Chinese tourists are a more important sector than Russian tourists, Bryan from Kim's Massage & Spa said: "Five Russians might spend less than one Chinese in a spa."

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Phuket has become a luxurious new playground for rich Russians fleeing Vladimir Putin's war, but some locals aren't happy

An influx of Russians is transforming the holiday island of Phuket, driving up property prices as well as fuelling local resentment over the flow of money into the country.

On Bangtao beach, on the western side of the island, 22-year-old Russian tourist Dasha said she has been enjoying her time abroad.

"I love Phuket because it's warm here and very beautiful and smiley people and tasty food and very spicy," she said.

While Western countries have sought to isolate Russia with sanctions, Thailand has welcomed Russian visitors as it tries to rebuild its tourism industry post-COVID.

The Thai government has recently moved to increase the length of Russian tourist visas from 30 days to 90 days.

Almost half a million Russians arrived in Phuket in the first half of this year and more than 9,000 of those were granted long-stay visas.

To cater to this market, Russian restaurants and businesses have begun popping up, while signs and menus have been translated into Cyrillic.

Russia has even opened a new consulate on the island this year.

Real estate agent Kristina Kamysheva said there were a few reasons why Russians were drawn to the tourist hotspot.

"Russians love Phuket because Phuket is a very nice place to live and spend your holiday," she told the ABC.

"The weather is good and we don't have an ocean in Russia so that's why Russians love to travel where they can swim and relax on the beach because we don't have it in our country."

Russians are also now the number one foreign buyer on the island and account for around 40-60 per cent of condominium sales to foreigners.

But while this is good news for real estate agents and home owners, the sheer volume of visitors appears to have changed the dynamic with Thai citizens.

Phuket draws in wealthy Russians

At the Sole Mio complex, which is located near Bangtao Beach and includes a rooftop pool, sauna, cryosauna and steam room, Ms Kamysheva says 80 per cent of the owners are Russian.

Interest from Russian buyers has contributed to a surge in property prices this year.

"Usually it's 5 per cent every year the price increase but this year I think it boom[ed]. So it increased 10 to even 20 per cent (on the western side of the island)," she said.

Property expert Chatchawan Wattanachote said the property boom driven by the new arrivals has also had an impact on rental prices.

"In the first quarter of 2023, Russian people who've come to visit Phuket surged by 1,000 per cent and that's made rental prices rise," he told the ABC.

"The luxury condominium rental prices have risen by up to 300 per cent and you have to book up to a year in advance in the western part."

But he said that hasn't flowed through to the more inland parts of the island where local workers live.

"The worker area has not seen a similar surge because Russian people, rich people come to the tourist area and make prices [rise] by spending a lot. But the worker area is not like that," he said.

Sakol Sutthichareon, who owns a guest house in Patong, said part of the problem is because Russian property buyers are renting out their properties to fellow Russians.

"Russian people run their own hotels, they provide car rental services and tour packages for Russian customers," he told the ABC.

"They come as a group and they will stay at hotels owned by Russian businessmen … my hotel is small so I won't get any benefit from it."

Local taxi drivers like Sanya Kritsan share similar anecdotes about Russians using their own drivers and visiting their own restaurants, so their money doesn't benefit the local economy.

"The reason local taxi drivers like me don't earn much from Russian tourists is because they download foreign apps and use services from those apps so income doesn't reach local taxis," he said.

Locals worried about foreigners working illegally

There are also fears among some locals about Russians working illegally or engaging in criminal activity and attracting business rivalries.

In June, a Kazakh man was arrested in relation to the shooting of a Russian man in front of a cafe in the middle of the day.

But these concerns are not reflected in the statistics.

Between January and August, 635 foreigners were charged with offences, according to the local police department, and only 78 were Russian nationals, representing roughly 12 per cent.

Police said most cases were work-related offences and there was no evidence of a Russian mafia presence on the island.

Local Move Forward Party politician Thitikan Thitipruethikul said   locals welcomed foreign visitors but wanted to benefit economically as well.

"When the Russian people flee from the war and they buy a lot of property here they make a lot of business. So some local people get a benefit, but not most of them," he told the ABC.

He said he has heard many stories from his constituents about Russians working illegally on Phuket.

"I get complaints from local residents that some Russian people are working in the jobs that are prohibited in Thailand, such as hair salons and driver for the taxi," he said.

"Thai people welcome foreigners to stay in Thailand but everyone needs to comply with the law.

"Some of them are working illegally and that is not fair for Thai people."

But instead of cracking down on illegal Russian businesses, Mr Thitipruethikul's party, Move Forward, wants to make it easier for Russians to work legally in Thailand.

"We're trying to propose a new law to update the immigration law so they can work properly and then at least they can pay tax," he said.

"When they work illegally they cannot hire Thai people and they're not paying tax.

"So we think that if we bring everything down from the earth … I think it's going to be better for all stakeholders."

More tourists over winter

Ms Kamysheva denied there were tensions between Russians and locals on Phuket.

"Locals are so happy with Russian tourists coming here … and with the amount of people moving here," she told the ABC.

"They go to the beach, to local vendors that didn't have any money during COVID … so it's very good for [the] local population to earn more money."

Ms Kamysheva is expecting yet another influx of Russians arriving on Phuket in the next few weeks.

"Winter is coming and we expect a bigger amount of tourists coming here because Russians don't want to be [frozen]," she said.

"And that's good for business."

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Orlando Cepeda dies

Cashless and flightless, Russian tourists stuck in Thailand

Tourists lounge under umbrellas along Patong Beach in Phuket, Thailand, Friday, March 11, 2022. Thousands of Russian tourists are stranded in Thailand’s beach resorts because of the war in Ukraine, many unable to pay their bills or return home because of sanctions and canceled flights. The crisis in Europe also put a crimp in recovery plans for the Southeast Asian nation’s tourism industry, which has hosted more visitors from Russia than any of its neighbors before the pandemic hit. (AP Photo/Salinee Prab)

The sun sets behind the golden mount temple in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, March 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

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BANGKOK (AP) — Thousands of Russian tourists are stranded in Thailand’s beach resorts because of the war in Ukraine, many unable to pay their bills or return home because of sanctions and canceled flights.

The crisis in Europe also put a crimp in recovery plans for the Southeast Asian nation’s tourism industry, which has hosted more visitors from Russia than any of its neighbors before the pandemic hit.

There are about 6,500 Russian tourists stuck in Phuket, Surat Thani, Krabi and Pattaya, four provinces that are popular seaside resort destinations, in addition to 1,000 Ukrainians, Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, told The Associated Press on Friday.

Some 17,599 Russians accounted for the largest bloc of arrivals in February, representing 8.6% of a total of 203,970, according to the Public Health Ministry. After the Feb. 24 Russian invasion of Ukraine, their numbers drastically declined.

Yuthasak said the Russians face two main problems: cancellations of their flights home by airlines that have stopped flying to Russia, and suspension of financial services, particularly by credit card companies that have joined sanctions against Moscow. There are also some who prefer to delay their return.

“There are some airlines that still fly to Russia, but travelers have to transit in another country. We are trying to coordinate and search the flights for them,” Yuthasak said.

While almost all direct flights from Russia have been suspended, connections are still available through major carriers based in the Middle East.

He said efforts are also being made to find alternative methods of payments for Russian tourists.

Siwaporn Boonruang, a volunteer translator for Russians stranded in Krabi, said some cannot pay their bills because they can no longer use Visa or Mastercard credit cards.

Many have cash and those with UnionPay credit cards, which are issued by a Chinese financial services company, can still use them, but payment by cryptocurrency is not allowed, she said.

Many hotels have helped by offering discounted rates, she added.

Thailand’s government has offered 30-day visa extensions without payment, and is trying to find low-cost alternative accommodation for people forced to stay for an extended period.

The problems associated with the war in Ukraine have compounded Thailand’s hopes for economic recovery. Officials hope to see the threat from the COVID-19 pandemic ebbing by July, even though daily cases are currently at record highs, driven by the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Thai authorities later this year expect to drop most quarantine and testing regulations that have been in place to fight the spread of the virus, which would make entry easier for foreign travelers.

Thailand may have to lower its targets for tourist arrivals and revenues this year because of the knock-on effects of rising oil prices and inflation on global travel, Yuthasak was quoted saying by the Bangkok Post newspaper.

“Tourism is still a key engine to revive our economy, even though revenue was stymied by negative factors,” he said.

According to the report, Thailand had projected gaining a total of 1.28 trillion baht ($38.4 billion) in revenue this year from foreign and domestic tourists.

Why Thailand Is the Best Bet for Russian Tourists These Days

Peden Doma Bhutia , Skift

January 9th, 2023 at 6:30 AM EST

Thailand needs tourists and Russians need to travel. The equation seems to have worked out pretty well so far for the two countries.

Peden Doma Bhutia

An innkeeper in Bangkok’s Sathorn area has been desperately looking to hire more staff to cater to the increasing number of tourists at his place.

Crediting the Russian tourists for this windfall, he said 25 of his 30 rooms have been taken up by travelers from Russia, with the average length of stay being between 10-15 days.

The innkeeper, who wished not to disclose this name or address so as to keep his Russian tourists safe, told Skift that “Russians have helped bring business back to establishments like mine that had been battered by Covid .”

The arrival of sanction-hit Russian tourists increased sevenfold in Thailand in November to 109,000 compared to 16,000 in September and this has been facilitated largely by the resumption of direct flights.

The demand from Russian tourists has also surged forward bookings. Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, expects more than one million Russian tourists in 2023, closer to the 2019 figure of 1.5 million.

Direct Flights and Increased Connectivity

Russian operators like Azur Air and Ikar Airline have started operating charter flights from Moscow, Novosibirsk and Vladivostok to Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket.

On November 12, Russian state carrier Aeroflot said it would add 14 more flights a week to Phuket.

Between November 1 last year and January 2, Russia made up the largest source market for Phuket tourism as the island welcomed 167,698 Russians, according to Phuket immigration.

Before Covid-19, China had been Phuket’s biggest tourist market.

What’s more, in the first quarter of 2022, Russians bought the maximum number of apartments in Phuket buying 74 properties worth $7.3 million, according to a Thai real estate consultancy firm.

Thailand: A Friend of Russia

Ever since the Ukraine conflict started, traveling has become an ordeal for us Russians, said Katarina, a tourist holidaying in Thailand.

“Many countries have closed their airspace to Russian carriers and then there are some destinations who are not giving us visas,” she said, calling Thailand a friend of Russia.

Katrina and her boyfriend had to cancel their Thailand trip in March last year as hotels in Thailand were then calling for a cash-only policy from Russian tourists.

However, while she’s glad that the past few months gave her a chance to explore domestic tourism within Russia, she was quick to hop on a plane once direct flights started from her hometown in Vladivostok to Thailand.

“We are only too glad to be able to escape the biting winter cold at home, where the temperature is around -5 degrees centigrade. This weekend we head off to the sunny beaches of Phuket,” she said, as she highlighted how a strong rouble against the Thai baht has made holidaying more affordable.

Thailand’s New Entry Rules

However, in preparation for the arrival of Chinese travelers — its biggest source market — Thailand’s aviation regulator on Saturday had brought back its requirement for all incoming international travelers to be doubly vaccinated, a rule that had been scrapped in October.

Also, those without a vaccination certificate would need to submit a doctor’s report stating recovery from Covid-19 or furnish a medical reason for not receiving the vaccine.

On Monday, Thailand scrapped the measures .

Speaking during the weekend before the new entry requirements were withdrawn, a Bangkok travel agent had said he expects the government to revisit the rules as unlike other countries the Thai government cannot afford to not listen to the pleas of the tourism industry.

Why Thailand Needs Russian Tourists

Russia was Thailand’s third largest source market for tourism arrivals, right after Malaysia and India, according to the November 2022 figures.

And now as India imposes fresh Covid restrictions on arrivals from Thailand , calling for a mandatory PCR Covid test not older than 72 hours before departure, Indians are either delaying their trips or cancelling them.

This could lead to Russia moving up the tourism arrival charts.

Thailand knew that to prop up its Covid-battered economy it would have to allow entry to Russian tourists.

According to a bilateral agreement between the two countries Russians do not require a visa to enter Thailand. Through this visa exemption, Russian tourists are allowed to stay in the country for a period of 30 days.

What’s more, from October 1 onwards, Thailand extended the visa-exemption stay for 64 countries, including Russia, from 30 to 45 days.

However, Russians arriving in the country in droves comes with its own set of problems. Two Russian men were recently arrested for begging on the streets of southern Thailand. 

The men held a placard that read, “Help! I am fleeing war in Russia. My money has run out. I do not want to return to the war. Can you help by donating? Do you have any free food for me?”  

Thailand Doubles Tourism Target

However, the innkeeper in Bangkok called such incidents few and far between.

Even smaller hotels are now looking to cater to these tourists by offering rooms at discounted rates. One such advertisement read, “Room for rent, $22.5 for a day, $80 for four nights, $284 for a month. Electricity, water, Wi-Fi, cleaning, linen and towels included.”   

Thailand’s visitor arrivals for 2022 exceeded the 10-million mark generating around $15 billion in international tourism revenue.

The country has doubled its tourism target for 2023 to 20 million, and expects international tourism revenue to touch around $45 billion closer to its pre-pandemic earnings of $70 billion.

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Tags: asia monthly , charters , china outbound , coronavirus recovery , india outbound , phuket , russia , sanctions , testing , thailand , Ukraine War

Photo credit: Russian tourists are back in droves to Thailand, the result of direct flights. Ted's Photos / VisualHunt

Thailand extends visa exemption for Russian tourists until 31 July 2024

Bangkok, 1 May 2024 – Thailand is extending a temporary visa exemption for tourists from Russia for another three months, from today until 31 July.

Holders of Russian passports or travel documents will be entitled to a tourist visa exemption for a 60-day stay in Thailand, down from the previous 90-day visa-free stay.

The previous visa-exemption scheme for Russia was in effect from 1 November 2023 until 30 April 2024.

Prior to the stimulus visa scheme, Russian tourists were originally allowed a 30-day stay in Thailand on tourism purpose.

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Thai Cabinet Approves Visa Exemption for Russian Tourists, But Changed from 90 Days to 60

In a move to boost tourism and economic growth, the Thai cabinet has announced an extension of the visa-free scheme for Russian visitors. Starting May 1st, Russians can enjoy a 60-day visa exemption, but this is shorter than before, replacing the previous 90-day programme set to conclude at April’s end.

This strategic decision aims to enhance tourism revenue and invigorate the national economy, as articulated by government spokesman Chai Wacharonke. The initiative, proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reflects the government’s commitment to fostering international relations and tourism, according to Chai.

Previously, the Thai government had sanctioned a 90-day visa-free period to lure Russian tourists during the peak travel season. With the impending expiration of this programme, the new 60-day exemption is poised to maintain the momentum in attracting visitors from Russia.

TPN media notes that the reduction in timeframe for the visa exemption is not entirely surprising, however, after several viral incidents involving Russian tourists mostly in Phuket and complaints from local residents, also mostly in Phuket, of overtourism.

At the same time, there have also been concerns from some netizens that some of the Russian “tourists” were not truly tourists but trying to escape potentially being drafted into service in the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

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Russians make Thailand a refuge as Ukraine war enters second year

Russians are buying up property in Southeast Asian country to avoid conscription and the economic ravages of the war.

Bangkok/Pattaya, Thailand – Since Russia invaded Ukraine  on February 24, 2022, a growing number of Russians have looked to Thailand as their ticket to a new life.

Tens of thousands of Russians hoping to avoid the threat of conscription and the economic ravages of the war have travelled to the kingdom in the year since the invasion, many of them seeking a new home.

Keep reading

Photos: russia’s silent calls for peace, russians who fled war win case to end stay at south korea airport, for many ukrainians, everyday russians are as guilty as putin, ukraine warns it may boycott 2024 olympics if russians take part.

In Phuket, a popular resort island, Russians are buying off-plan condos with half a million dollars or more to facilitate their relocation or provide a landing pad for a future time when they may feel forced to leave their homeland.

Between November 1, 2022, and January 21, 2023, more than 233,000 Russians arrived in Phuket, according to data from Phuket International Airport, making them the biggest group of visitors by far.

Phuket has long been a favourite escape from the harsh Russian winter but property sales have surged since President Vladimir Putin in September ordered Moscow’s first wartime mobilisation since World War Two, suggesting many arrivals are intent on staying well beyond the length of a typical holiday.

“My clients are mostly young, 30-35… they’re wealthy, high-budget clients,” Sofia Malygaevareal, a real estate agent in Phuket who originally hails from Russia, told Al Jazeera.

“A lot of people have decided to move to Phuket from three to six months… to one year.”

To stay on the idyllic island, Russian arrivals need homes, schools, jobs and visas – which takes time in Thailand, where obtaining long-term residency rights can be difficult to achieve.

For many of the newcomers determined to swap a home on a war footing for a life in the Thai sunshine, money is not a problem. Realtors in Russian-dominated areas of the island say the influx of wealthy visitors, fuelled by the growing realisation the war has no end in sight as it enters its second year, has driven prices up to record levels.

Luxury condos that until recently were available to rent for about $1,000 a month can now go for three times that. Meanwhile, extravagant villas on the market for $6,000 or more are booked out up to a year in advance.

The buyers’ market is similarly red hot. In 2022, Russians bought nearly 40 percent of all condominiums sold to foreigners in Phuket, according to the Thai Real Estate Information Center (REIC). Russians’ purchases amounted to $25m in sales – several times the amount spent by Chinese nationals, the next largest group of buys, according to the REIC.

Some buyers have spent upwards of $500,000 on luxury off-plan homes by the sea, according to local real estate agents.

“The situation has changed at home,” Malygaevareal said, referring to the tough economic conditions in Russia. “People who have money come abroad and are ready to pay money for international school, which costs less than in Moscow.”

A Russian travel agent in Phuket, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said some Russians have arrived on one-way tickets and tourist visas. “[They] just do not go home… they are here to get away from conscription.”

The mass influx of Russians is also reflected in other popular tourist areas such as Koh Samui, Thailand’s second-biggest island, and the eastern seaboard resort of Pattaya, where there has been a sizeable Russian community concentrated in the beach town of Jomtien for years.

“More Russians have moved to Pattaya since October. They’re mostly young couples who fear for their safety,” Mikhail Ilyin, the head priest of the All Saints Russian Orthodox Church in Pattaya, told Al Jazeera.

But the impact of Putin’s invasion works both ways.

Dar, a Thai masseuse in her 40s, said she left her job at a high-end spa in Moscow as the rouble collapsed and her salary – which was generous by Thai standards – plummeted in value. Dar has found new work in Jomtien, where her rare language skills win over repeat Russian clients.

“The women tell me they are desperate to get their husbands, boyfriends or children to come over here to stay,” she said, asking to be referred to by only her first name. “So they come over first and find houses and try to make visas for their men.”

Visas, though, are not as easy to obtain as they used to be after a major scandal was uncovered in November involving Thai immigration police helping the Chinese mafia bring thousands of people into Thailand through fake work and volunteer schemes.

That means Russians who can afford it are having to apply for expensive property ownership visas known as the “Elite Card”, which allows a long-term stay for a family for approximately $25,000.

“It’s not as easy as they think to do long-term living here,” said IIyin, the priest. “Some are thinking of returning as they run out of options.”

The flow of Russians and Russian money into Thailand is also generating resentment in some quarters.

On Phuket, which was hit especially hard by the collapse of global tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some local tourism businesses have expressed anger about Russians allegedly taking local jobs.

Tourism operators have complained about Russian taxi drivers shuttling their compatriots around the island and leading tour groups around Phuket’s historic Old Town, often without the required permits or visas.

Earlier this month, Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, president of the Phuket Tourist Association, complained about the prospect of Russians cutting into locals’ livelihoods.

“If it’s true they’re taking our jobs in our own home, we can’t allow this to happen,” Ruktaengam wrote on his Facebook page.

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Record arrivals from four countries boost Thai hopes of tourism boom

Friday, 28 Jun 2024

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Srettha sees soft power as tool to lift Thailand out of middle-income rut

'little thailand': khao lak is the thai kingdom in bite-size format, chinese furry doll labubu to visit thailand next month.

- Photo: The Nation/ANN file

BANGKOK: The Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) says foreign arrivals from four major markets – Malaysia, India, South Korea, and Russia – are on course to hit record highs in 2024 after government support for Thai tourism and soft power.

Visitors from Malaysia are expected to reach 5 million this year, exceeding the 4.27 million recorded in 2019 before the pandemic, ATTA president Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn said on Thursday (June 27).

ATTA’s estimate of 2 million visitors each from India and South Korea also surpasses pre-pandemic levels (1.96 million and 1.88 million in 2019) while 1.8 million expected Russian tourists tops the 1.74 million recorded in 2023.

However, Chinese visitors will still dominate Thailand’s tourism market with an estimated 7 million arrivals this year, Sisdivachr said.

ATTA expects total foreign arrivals to exceed 35 million in 2024.

“However, whether we meet the government target of 36.7 million will depend on promotions in the second half of the year and during high season, especially roadshows in target overseas markets.”

Thailand saw 17 million foreign tourists in the first half of the year, with Chinese arrivals accounting for 3.5 million.

In September, ATTA will join the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in hosting roadshow events in large Chinese cities, including Zhengzhou, Changsha and Xi’an.

The ATTA president also expects more tourists from China and other countries to visit Bangkok’s Chinatown this year after the location featured in K-pop singer Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban's latest video, released on Friday.

“Lisa has millions of fans worldwide and the song ‘Rockstar’ used Bangkok’s iconic Yaowarat [Chinatown] neighbourhood as a backdrop,” he said.

The video surpassed 5 million views just three hours after being released via YouTube on Friday morning. - The Nation/ANN

Tags / Keywords: Thailand , Association Of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) , Malaysia , Russia , India , South Korea , tourim , boom

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Russians in failed pursuit of Phuket bag snatcher

PUBLISHED : 24 Jun 2024 at 12:33

WRITER: Achadthaya Chuenniran

PHUKET: A Russian couple tried in vain to catch a bag snatcher on a motorcycle who made off with the woman's handbag in Muang district on Sunday night.

Alisa Makarenko told tourist police she was riding pillion on her friend's motorcycle on Takua Pa Road in tambon Talad Yai of Muang district about 8.40pm on Sunday when a motorcyclist grabbed her handbag from her lap.

The thief was wearing a distinctive blue helmet. Her friend pursued the bag-snatcher on their bike, weaving through the traffic and repeatedly sounding his horn, while she recorded the chase on her phone. The thief got away. 

The lost bag contained her spectacles, motorcycle licence, four debit cards, a comb and a power bank, but only 60 baht in cash, Ms Alisa said.

Police advised the victim to quickly freeze her debit cards, which included three Russian cards.

- Illegal driving instructor caught -

In a separate case, police arrested Russian Roman Lazarev, 29, for illegally working as a motorcycle driving instructor in the parking lot at Nam Kao market in tambon Kathu of Kathu district.

He was arrested with motorcycles and traffic cones that he used when teaching Russian learner drivers.

Police said he charged 2,000 baht for a three-day course and advertised his services on Instagram.

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Russia pushes for extradition treaty with Thailand

Putin hopes to further strengthen the two-year cooperation pact signed in 2023 in an effort to extradite criminal suspects.

Moscow is making a concerted effort to get into an extradition deal with Thailand in response to an order from President Vladimir Putin, state-controlled Russian media outlet RT  reported on Monday.

The two governments have been negotiating an extradition deal for several years and eventually resolved to sign a two-year cooperation program in March 2023.

Russia’s prosecutor-general Igor Krasnov, who was in Bangkok recently, claimed that the treaty aims to help both countries combat threats from transnational organised crimes, like cybercrime, cryptocurrency scams, extremism and terrorism.

Thai media, however, noted that Krasnov’s visit and the signing of the draft coincided with the arrival of several thousands of Russians fleeing their country to avoid conscription for the war with Ukraine.

It is also to be noted, that all seven members of a Russian-Belarusian rock band Bi-2 were arrested in January this year. The band’s frontman Yegor Bortnik was listed as a “foreign agent” by Moscow after the band openly expressed its anti-war stance.

Though neither the band nor the Royal Thai Police issued a comment on the arrest, local tourist authorities claimed the musicians had been arrested for performing in Phuket without a work permit. The musicians were eventually deported to Israel.

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