70 wealthy foreign tourists will be the first to undergo “villa quarantine” at Phuket luxury resort

An independent real estate consultancy is predicting a bleak year for those involved in the hotel industry on the southern island of Phuket. According to a Nation Thailand report, Carlos Martinez from Knight Frank Thailand says foreign arrivals in Phuket have plummeted by 80%, from over 5.3 million in 2019 to just 1 million in 2020.

Hotel occupancy rates on the island have nose-dived, with some hotels having to suspend operations, while others try to lure domestic travellers with steep discounts and other special offers. On July 15, the Thai government launched a domestic tourism stimulus campaign, in an attempt to get Thais travelling around the country. Domestic tourists can avail of a 40% subsidy on the cost of hotel room and airfares, but, despite this, the number of domestic travellers in Phuket has dropped by 64% year-on-year.

As the Covid-19 pandemic continued to wreak havoc…