With the more charter flights from Scandinavian countries, the tourism in Phuket enjoys strong tourist ‘low-season’ and has been gradually improving since the tsunami, and will be even better in the year 2008, said President Maitree Narukatpichai, Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) on August 14, 2007.
The PTA’s statistics were less impressive but the President still happy with the situation, saying that hotel occupancy in Phuket was currently between 60% and 70%.
Suwalai Pinpradab, director of Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) Southern Region 4 Office said that green season in the year 2007 has seen a healthy increase in the number of holidaymakers visiting Phuket.
“We are all doing our best to promote tourism during the green season. For example, for Phuket Walk & Run on September 30 we have been working with 21 Japanese tour operators to sell about 500 packages for people to visit Phuket. The Japanese like this kind of sport,” added Suwalai.
Hotel occupancy rates are reportedly about 80%, marking a 20% to 30% increase on last year, with Patong being one of the busiest places on the island, according to TAT figures.
