Thailand’s post-covid tourism recovery has owed much to the Indian sub-continent. Direct flights from cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata to Bangkok and Phuket have contributed around 500,000 international arrivals in Thailand, or almost 10 percent of the total to date. Many of the Indian arrivals are single men attracted to Pattaya’s traditional hotspots and haunts, together with over 70 Indian restaurants to choose from. But there is also a lucrative market in lavish, five-star Indian weddings – with hundreds of guests flown in by charter plane – which can cost tens of millions of baht.
Now Cambodia is eyeing that market. The Indian and Cambodian governments have signed a memorandum of understanding to start direct flights between the two countries. At present, there are no direct air…
