Despite Political Unrest Phuket Hotels are Thriving
What does this mean for people with homes for sale in Phuket?
It is good news indeed for people with homes or those looking to buy in Phuket that hotels have operated relatively unchanged by the political upheavals in the capital, Bangkok.
This demonstrates that certain international visitors to Phuket are not bothered by government disputes in the capital.
Over June 2014 the number of tourists that arrived in Phuket grew by almost 7 %. There was also a growth in direct international flights to Phuket.
During this period hotels enjoyed an occupancy rate as high as 80%.
According to one of Thailand’s leading real estate companies fewer hotels are being constructed in Phuket, which could suggest that the rate of supply of new hotel rooms will drop and perhaps lead to an increase of room rates. It is a possibility that new arrivals to Phuket may increase at a faster rate than new hotel supply. Of course this could be interpreted as good news for homes for sale in Phuket as it may well make the holiday housing rental option more attractive and competitive.
The largest groups of visitors to Phuket are currently Chinese and Russian which make up almost half of the total international visitors to Phuket. Next in line are Korea, Sweden and Australia accounting for about 5% each.
Thailand’s administration has seen many serious and regular disruptions over its history. However Phuket’s popularity has only increased. There have been minor and temporary dips in the islands popularity, but these are short lived and the island quickly bounces back, with growth in many sectors year on year.
Although the numbers of Chinese visitors have been affected recently, an interesting statistic shows that the number of Chinese mainland outbound tourists last year was about 100 million and only 4.7 million of those came to Thailand. There are plenty more Chinese left to come and visit Thailand and no doubt some will be interested in the homes for sale in Phuket!
