PHUKET, THAILAND - Thailand's current tourism bull run is being underscored by a watershed of Eastern European travelers - a soaring source of business that delivered 1.6 million visitors in 2012, led by Russia with an 82% share.
The sheer impact of the volume is nowhere more apparent than the holiday destination of Phuket which has experienced a direct hit, as over 650,000 Eastern European tourists injected US$1.2 billion into the island's economy last year.
C9's Managing Director Bill Barnett said: "Phuket has seen this business build up over the past four years with a 42% compound annual growth rate. This rapid acceleration has turned the tables upside down on the once dominant Western European market. The shift is now on display day in and day out on the resort island where mounting numbers of charter flights and tour buses are a constant reminder of a changing world."