Russians flock to Thailand as tourism rebounds from collapse

Thailand is receiving an influx of Russian visitors, with data showing monthly arrivals doubling in November and up nearly seven times than September, far outpacing rises from other countries in the run-up to peak travel season.
One of Asia’s most popular travel destinations, Thailand is seeing a much-needed tourism boom, with 1.75 million visitors in November, quadruple the number received for the whole of last year when flights and foreign arrivals were limited by the pandemic.
Thailand removed the last vestige of its tight COVID-19 entry policies in July to revive its collapsed tourism sector and since September, and arrivals from Russia have grown at a faster rate monthly than any other country, including those rising from low bases, according to official data.
Russia was Thailand’s seventh-largest tourism market in 2019, before the pandemic, at 1.48 million visitors, but on a monthly basis in November, it was third behind Malaysia and India, with 108,985 arrivals, up from 44,314 in October and 15,900 in September.