Daily direct flights between Phuket and Shanghai to takeoff next week

Daily flights between Phuket in southern Thailand and Shanghai in China will takeoff next Wednesday, January 18, operated by Shanghai’s Juneyao Airlines.

The inaugural flight will be the first direct service between Phuket and mainland China in almost three years.

China reopened its borders yesterday, and given that China was once Thailand’s top tourism market, Thailand braced itself for an influx of Chinese tourists.

But the reality has been underwhelming so far. President of the Thai Hotels Association Suksit Suvunditkul told the Bangkok Post that the number of direct flights and tourists from China remained small compared to other countries.

A daily direct service between Phuket and China’s most populous city is bound to propel Chinese tourists to travel to the island and pump their yuan into the local economy.

Chinese tourism to Phuket – especially…