Foreign arrivals to Phuket may fall to a lower than expected level during the upcoming low season, due largely to the slowdown of the Chinese market and the bankruptcy of an Indian airline.

Thaneth Tantipiriyakij of the Phuket Tourist Association said travellers have only about 40 available daily flights from China during the day.

The bankruptcy of the low-cost carrier Go First last week might affect overall flight capacity from India as the airline offers direct flights to the island.

Mr Thaneth said the overall tourism market in Phuket is expected to see a recovery rate of just 50% compared with the same period in 2019.

According to Phuket Immigration, Russia, China and India were ranked as the top three markets in April. Russia accounted for about 63,476 visitors, followed by China (46,697) and India (24,897).

Mr Thaneth said tourism operators are looking to Middle Eastern markets such as Saudi Arabia.

There are also new direct flights connecting Bangkok with Saudi Arabian cities and other major aviation hubs such as Qatar and Dubai.

To maintain the Chinese market, Mr Thanet said related authorities should deal with the impact of news concerning unsafe vacations in Thailand that had circulated on Chinese social media platforms.