More Indian tourists want to visit Phuket but limited airport slots make it impossible

PHUKET, Thailand: For many Indian tourists, the popular resort island of Phuket has recently become more attractive than ever before. Within four to five hours, they can now fly to the ‘Pearl of the Andaman Sea’ directly from India, without a stopover in the capital Bangkok or other countries such as Singapore or Malaysia.

In 2018, some 95,000 Indian travellers visited Phuket. By September this year, the number has already exceeded 236,000, according to the Phuket Immigration Office. For local business operators, the limited airport slots pose a looming challenge that could damage a vulnerable economy that has suffered from a recent drop in Chinese tourists, following a boat tragedy that killed 47 Chinese last year.

Madras Cafe is one of several Indian restaurants in Phuket. Its third branch in Patong was opened recently as numbers of Indian visitors to the resort island continue to grow. One of them is Mydeen’s Madras Cafe, which welcomes about 1,000 customers a day. The business has recently opened its third branch near Patong beach as the number of Indian visitors continue to surge.

China may still remain the biggest source of visitors in Phuket but a large number of them have opted for other overseas destinations such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam. In the first half of 2019, data from the Phuket Immigration Office showed a drop in Chinese tourists by more than 20 per cent from the same period last year.

“It’s still an early stage for the Indian market. They are still exploring Phuket. Overall, we believe they’ll help improve the local economy. Some may have spending concerns but for the luxury group, it’s limitless,” Bhummikitti said. “Indian tourists often visit my souvenir shop. They like Ganesh statues. At weekends, I welcome about 200 Indian customers,” said Piriya Shinnawong from one of the souvenir shops in the old town.“We’ve been to Thailand before but our parents haven’t been to Phuket. So we got them here this time,” said 40-year-old tourist Tanu Jain from New Delhi.

泰国好。

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