PHUKET: The resort island is anticipated to receive about 264,350 visitors during the Songkran holiday this year, generating at least seven billion baht in revenue, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand's (TAT) forecast.
The island is expected to experience high levels of congestion during the Thai New Year holiday from April 12 to 16, Lertchai Wangtrakuldee, director of Phuket's TAT office, said on Wednesday
Hotel bookings have already reached almost 80% capacity despite being in its low tourism season. According to the office’s survey of 2,069 hotel samples, the occupancy rate stands at 78.56% of a total of 111,427 rooms, with each visitor staying an average of five nights.
The projected 264,350 visitors to Phuket during Songkran are expected to spend an average of 6,625 baht per day, generating 7.04 billion baht for the popular toursist destination, Mr Lertchai said.
Among international arrivals, Russian tourists are the largest group, with at least 5,000 visitors a day, followed by Chinese visitors as the second largest group, with about 2,000 visitors daily.
There has also been an increase in visitors from the European market, especially Germany, England and Kazakhstan, he said.
However, the number of Indian visitors has dropped slightly as some opted for nearby destinations like Krabi, he added.
The TAT anticipates growth in Middle Eastern arrivals and a higher volume of domestic visitors during Songkran due to reduced travel costs in April.
Regarding Songkran activities on the island, Mr Lertchai said ceremonies and events will be held at many locations such as Saphan Hin Bridge, Phuket Old Town and Pa Tong Beach.
Thanet Tantipiriyakit, president of the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA), said that Songkran is expected to help increase the number of visitors to Phuket, especially from the domestic market.
In light of recent news reports about misbehaving expats and foreign tourists on the island, Mr Thanet said everyone is required to abide by the law, regardless of their nationality or origin.
Last week, two tourists from New Zealand attacked and injured a traffic police officer in Phuket's Muang district.
On Wednesday, five foreigners were arrested and gambling chips worth over 600,000 baht seized during a raid on house in Phuket.
