Tourism operators want airlines to lower prices

18th Oct 2022

Tourism businesses in Phuket are requesting that airlines reduce ticket rates to make the island more financially appealing. As Chinese visitors are noticeably absent from Phuket's tourism sector, operators are concerned that the island is seen as being too pricey. According to The Bangkok Post, before the epidemic, Chinese visitors accounted for forty percent of Phuket's tourism business. Now, as Phuket attempts to recover from the COVID outbreak, local tourists are focused on bolstering the island's economy.

However, local travellers are considered unwilling to pay exorbitant prices to visit the southern location. According to Thanet Tantipiriyakit, head of the Phuket Tourist Association, local visitors accounted for around 8,000 to 9,000 daily airport arrivals. This statistic exceeds the number of international travellers by at least 4000. Thanet identifies aeroplane fares as the most significant barrier for domestic tourists visiting Phuket.

He said: "Prior to COVID-19, Phuket was viewed as an expensive location by local tourists. Hotels are keeping prices low to attract tourists, so living costs and hotel rates are now low. However, the high cost of air travel will keep tourists from going to the island."

Without earlier reservations, a round-trip ticket may cost around 10,000 baht per person, he said. According to him, the present exchange rate has an effect on visitors travelling in groups, such as families, since the cost of a trip would increase. Even though Thailand has reopened, there are still about 100 flights a day at the airport, which shows that airlines can still add more flights during the busy season.

With so many open slots, we'd want to see domestic airlines boost their flights to Phuket, which would help cut the average cost in this market if more seats are filled.

Although the rainy season caused floods, the majority of the island's beaches remained undamaged, which is an encouraging sign that more people would want to come.

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