Last week, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on Russian goods within 50 days unless a deal was reached to end the war in Ukraine.
Thailand is also facing fiercer competition from Vietnam, where Russian travel agents shifted chartered flights this summer, resulting in a 10% lower seat capacity year-on-year, said Kanchana Sing-udom, director of TAT’s Moscow office, reports the Bangkok Post.
Despite economic and geopolitical headwinds, including the war in Ukraine, she said affluent tourists are still willing to travel overseas, as the agency is mainly targeting them.
Based on discussions with Russian agents, the number of chartered flights to Thailand should pick up in the fourth quarter, with Phuket and U-tapao Airport standing as the major ports of entry, said Ms Kanchana.
“Thailand remains a favourite destination for the Russian market, consistently attracting repeat visitors, even though sometimes they might want to experience new destinations such as Vietnam,” she said.
While beach destinations like Nha Trang and Phu Quoc in Vietnam are popular among Russian tourists at the moment, Phuket still has an advantage thanks to its complete facilities and more hotel options, she said.
As of July 20, the number of Russian tourists tallied 1.08mn and was still the largest long-haul market with the fourth-largest number of foreign tourist arrivals in Thailand.
According to TAT, Thailand is among the top five overseas destinations for outbound Russians.
Last year, Thailand welcomed over 1.74mn Russian visitors, accounting for 15% of the overall outbound Russian market, just below the all-time record set in 2013.
TAT’s working target for Russian tourists this year remains at 2mn. If achieved, this would set a new high for this market.
However, TAT needs to evaluate the market momentum during the upcoming winter before committing to that goal, said Ms Kanchana.
During the first half of 2025, Russian arrivals exceeded 2024’s level in every month but May.
She said that Thai culture, hospitality and the country’s products, including wellness facilities and world-class hotels for family groups, would continue to attract Russian tourists.
At present, they not only choose Phuket, but also visit destinations nearby, such as Krabi and Phang Nga.
Some long-stay Russians also want to explore mountainous areas such as those around Chiang Mai, while TAT is promoting Thailand as an all-year-round destination, she said.