Phuket May Airport Passenger Figures Best In Six Years

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Posted: 29 Jun 2010 | 6:00 am

Despite the decided downturn in passenger numbers at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, Phuket recorded an 18.1% increase in May 2010 over the same month last year.

With a total passengers of 424,456, the traffic for arrivals and departures eclipsed the same month for any year between 2005-2010.

Looking inside the numbers the vast improvement is all about airlift as for May this year according to the Air Transport Department at Phuket International Airport total aircraft movements were 3,561 against 2,846 last year. This comes in at a 25.12% increase.

With a surging hotel pipeline, certainly the greater amount of new hotel rooms on the market are taking time to absorb into the supply steam.

Destination seat capacity is a key driver of long term fundamentals and goes back to the adage "you can't stay there if you can't get there. For Phuket getting there continues to be on the upswing.

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We have to remember it's still "Amazing Thailand" !

Peter, 30 Jun 2010 | 12:05 pm

But the figures of total arrival (by office of tourism development) was down by 13% compare to 2009

Don't have idea where did they staying. Everywhere seem so quiet. Why I didn't hear anything like this from the agents??? Everyone just said very slow and quiet????

Bill Barnett responds:
Thanks for the comments. Our figures come from AoT which is the most reliable source of data on total passengers at PIA (Phuket International Airport). Also flight traffic comes from the Departmetn of Transportation at PIA so good stat.

That given there are larger nubmer of residents now on the island, those who have condos, houses or else stay in the residential managed units as hotels. Also there are more hotel rooms than last year. Lastly in the past more long haul tourists with longer stays and now short haul tourists from Asian destinations so average length of stay is shorter..many factors.

Long term is good more traffic and also more flights. On the Tourism Development Office can you send us the source as we check the website and only 2009 figues online at present.

Thanks for reading.

Theera, 29 Jun 2010 | 11:50 am

I do hope some of this will translate into Room nights. It could well be that most arrivals are Thais which can now afford to fly because of the increase of cheap Airline seats.
Bill Barnett responds:
Good point but looking at the traffic details domestic traffic was slightly down but international was up.

Wolfgang, 29 Jun 2010 | 11:31 am