09-07-2025
Phuket sees 5.85 million visitors in first 5 months
Russians, Chinese and Indians were Phuket's largest groups of tourists in the first five months of this year, generating around 223 billion baht in revenue, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
Kamolphan Chalermsakulrat, deputy director of TAT Phuket, said on Wednesday the island province welcomed 5.85 million visitors between January and May, a 3.14% increase year-on-year.
Thai tourists accounted for 1.59 million visitors on the island (a 6.73% increase) and there were 4.26 million international tourists (1.86% increase), generating 223 billion baht, up 5.19% from the same period in 2024.
The average hotel occupancy stood at 82%.
In May alone, Phuket welcomed 900,000 visitors -- 247,000 Thais and 668,000 foreigners.
That month's international arrivals dropped by 8.8%, generating 34.77 billion baht, and marking a decline of 2.93% from May 2024.
In June, the median hotel occupancy was 62.63%, with visitors staying an average of 3.24 nights. The total number of visitors in June reached 1.71 million, comprising 582,555 Thais and 1.13 million foreigners, resulting in over 35 billion baht in revenue.
The top 10 foreign markets for the island that month were India, Russia, China, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the United States and South Korea.
The UK and Australia markets showed strong growth during those months, said Ms Kamolphan. A strong influx of travellers also arrived from Germany, France, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and the United States.
Phuket International Airport reported 7,062 flights in June, serving 1.06 million passengers -- 317,346 international and 216,083 domestic passengers.
There were over 48,000 flights in the first five months of 2025, marking 95% of the cumulative flight volume compared to the 100% volume seen in the same period of 2019.
Phuket has lined up a number of events to further bolster its appeal.
These include the SIP & SURF x Beach Break Kamala from July 25-27, featuring surf competitions, live music and workshops at Kamala Beach in Kathu district; and Coral College, an eco-tourism programme promoting marine conservation on July 24 at Ao Chalong Pier.
Also, from Aug 14-17, Asia Link Sketch Walk Phuket event will gather 777 artists from 26 countries to sketch iconic Phuket locations.
All artworks will be displayed at the Thailand Biennale later this year.
Phuket is also preparing for a long weekend holiday from July 10-13 with an estimated 199,460 visitors, generating 2.89 billion baht.
