Phuket, Thailand, August 20, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / The tourism industry in Phuket welcomes the groundbreaking approval of the Sputnik vaccine by Thailand's Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). This approval is expected to open up the Russian market to the southern Thai island. The industry hopes to attract some of the more than 700,000 Russian direct arrivals in Phuket within five months (November to March), as these so-called "winter visitors" plan their return.

Phuket has been a very popular destination for Russian tourists for years, reaching its peak in 2019 with over 700,000 arrivals in just five months. All arrivals were on direct flights from Russia. In total, 1.4 million Russians visited Phuket in 2019.

The traditional “snowbird” season from November to March is the time when temperatures in Russia and also in many parts of Northern Europe drop sharply, prompting travelers to fly towards the tropical sounds and bright blue skies of Phuket.

“This is great news for Phuket. It’s time to move beyond the sandbox and lay the foundation for a broader tourism initiative,” said Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, President of the Phuket Tourist Association. “The industry can now refocus on its core competencies and concentrate on the winter season in Northern Europe. This is a huge opportunity for Phuket. These are our traditional markets.”

Laguna Phuket, an integrated destination in the popular Bangtao Beach area, comprising seven hotels, a PCR testing center operated by a Bangkok Hospital and extensive open spaces, gardens and lagoons, already benefited from the Phuket Sandbox due to its reputation as a safe haven, but according to Managing Director Ravi Chandran, this is a significant step forward.

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“The approval of the Sputnik vaccine is a turning point for Phuket,” he said. “The Russian travel market is the largest in the world outside of China, and the timing is perfect as the high season begins in November this year. Phuket Sandbox has proven successful, and this will further enhance those successes for all hotels, tourism sector stakeholders, and the island’s local population.”

Since July 1st, over 300,000 hotel rooms have been booked by international visitors through the Phuket Sandbox initiative – a number expected to rise rapidly with the start of the high season. Scheduled and charter flights by Russian airlines are expected to resume in Phuket from October 2021.

Regarding market potential, Bill Barnett, Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks, said: “With the upcoming 2021 winter wonderland and the changing market, Russians, who typically have an average length of stay of 11 to 12 nights, are a perfect target group for the Sandbox concept.”

Laguna Phuket, in collaboration with Delivering Asia Communications and C9 Hotelworks, is hosting a one-hour virtual online event on September 9th at 3 pm with representatives from the government, tour operators, hotels and airlines to discuss the upcoming arrival of the Russian market in Phuket.

The Laguna Phuket Resort comprises seven luxury hotels: Angsana Laguna Phuket, Angsana Villas Resort Phuket, Banyan Tree Phuket, Cassia Phuket, Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket, Laguna Holiday Club Phuket Resort, and SAii Laguna Phuket. All are nestled within a 400-hectare tropical park along a three-kilometer stretch of pristine Bangtao Beach. Facilities and services include an award-winning 18-hole golf course, world-renowned spas, a shopping village, tour operators, and MICE-certified event and presentation teams. Thanks to the resort shuttle or ferry, guests can reach any destination within minutes.

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