Phuket plans to attract 3.5 million international tourists by the 4Q this year

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Thailand’s popular seaside tourist attraction Phuket is gearing up plans to attract 3.5 million international tourist arrivals by the fourth quarter of this year.

The President of the Phuket Tourist Association said that foreign arrivals have increased to 3,000-5,000 per day since May 1st, compared with 400-500 per day during the sandbox period and 2,500 per day under the “Test & Go” scheme, following the recent easing of travel restrictions.

He also said India has contributed the most inbound foreign tourists this month, with an average of 1,000 per day. After that the international travellers from Australia, with around 10,000 visit Phuket in April. Other leading markets for Phuket were the United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia.

He also mentioned that concerns over the viral situation should no longer be a huge concern and is optimistic that the island can potentially draw 3.5 million foreign tourists this year.

Mr. Bhummikitti’s strategy to lengthen the stay of each tourist from 4-5 days to 6 is through recreational activities and attractions. He believes that instead of prioritizing volume, the island would benefit more if they lure in high spending tourists with activities and new tourism sites.

In the first four months of 2022, Phuket has seen over 3 hundred thousand international visitors so far.

Thailand is discontinuing its once-mandatory Covid-19 tracking application “Mor Chana”, or Doctor Wins, from June 1.

Mor Chana was once commonly used to track coronavirus cases and notify people if they had been exposed to Covid-19.

Mor Chana, which was launched on April 29, 2020, used GPS and Bluetooth to track the movement of users, who were expected to use the application to scan a barcode to “check-in” to venues during the height of the pandemic.

In January 2021, health minister Anutin Charnvirakul said anyone who contracted Covid-19 without having previously downloaded and used the app would be subject to up to two years imprisonment and a fine of up to ฿40,000. The threat was criticised as unfair to people without smart phones.

However, over time, use of the Mor Chana fell out of use, and many venues no longer expected attendees to “check-in” using the app.

Yesterday, Mor Chana made an announcement via Facebook that the application will be discontinued from June 1.

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