Phuket hoteliers looking to winter wonderland to bolster the Sandbox

by Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com

As the Phuket Sandbox program continues to be the international gateway for overseas travellers to Thailand, island hoteliers are looking at what the winter season could look like. Traditionally a legacy market, many visitors during this period are called ‘snowbirds’ and are from Northern and Eastern Europe.

Snowbird travellers are long-stay visitors, with a key source, like Russia having an average length of stay of 11 or 12 nights. This makes it a natural fit for the Sandbox 14 day stay requirement (although you can stay for a shorter period if you want).

One key trigger for the Eastern European market, or mainly Russia, is that vaccinated travellers are likely be have injections of the Sputnik vaccine. Word this week in Thailand reportedly is that the country is set to approve Sputnik within August. The timing could not be more…