Arrival numbers have drifted during March as the island moves into its post Christmas/new year/Chinese New Year tourism phase.
During the month the average number of arrivals have dropped from around 13,000 per day to an average of 10,000 people per day by the end of the month.
It’s expected to build up again over the next two weeks for the Songkran break which runs, approximately from April 11 – 17, with the actual Songkran day (Thai new year) on April 13.
On this day you can expect Thais visiting their local temples in the morning and then heading out for some water fights and fun during the afternoon. Tourist areas will probably have the water fights into April 14 as well.
Following Songkran, the arrival numbers are anticipated to languish as the island settles into the annual wet season. Even the arrival of Russians, by far the most numerous nationality since November last year, has started to wane.
During March the number of arrivals from the top 5 countries was…
• Russia – 94,308
• China – 45,147
• India – 28,431
• Kazakhstan – 18,201
• Germany – 16,788
The most surprising tourist phenomenon for Phuket this year has been the high number of Kazakhs arriving, being part of the top 5 most numerous arrivals since November last year.
Phuket arrivals for March 2023 – Phuket Immigration
