Phuket welcomed 9.2 million visitors in the first eight months of 2026, down 1.76% from the same period last year, as the island prepares for four additional direct international flight routes ahead of the high season.
Tourism Authority of Thailand figures presented at a Phuket provincial administration meeting yesterday, September 28, showed that 9,200,166 people visited the island between January and August.
The total included 2,409,873 Thai visitors, up 0.46% year on year, while the number of foreign tourists fell 2.52% to 6,790,293.
Tourism revenue also edged lower, declining 0.99% to 356.21 billion baht over the eight-month period. Foreign visitors accounted for 328.93 billion baht in spending, down 1.19% from a year earlier. Revenue generated by Thai tourists increased 1.44% to 27.29 billion baht.
Average hotel occupancy across Phuket stood at 66.20%. Russia remained the island’s largest overseas tourism market, with 661,876 visitors, followed by China with 459,218 and India with 393,277.
Australia ranked fourth with 167,345 arrivals, followed by the United Kingdom with 152,866, Germany with 115,795 and France with 111,701. Malaysia contributed 101,639 visitors, while South Korea recorded 90,341 and Kazakhstan 86,071.
The latest figures come as Phuket prepares to expand its direct international flight network during October, with services connecting the island to London, Zurich, Kuwait and Minsk.
Virgin Atlantic is scheduled to begin flying directly between London and Phuket on October 18, operating three services a week.
Edelweiss Air is due to launch its Zurich-Phuket route on October 25, also with three weekly flights.
Kuwait Airways will follow on October 27 with twice-weekly services between Kuwait and Phuket.
Belavia Belarusian Airlines is scheduled to begin twice-weekly direct flights between Minsk and Phuket on October 29.
The four Phuket direct flights will expand travel options from Europe, the Middle East and Eastern Europe as the island moves into its busiest tourism period of the year.
Tourism officials said the additional services are expected to help accommodate demand from international markets while creating more opportunities for hotels, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses to benefit from visitor spending.
Despite the modest year-on-year decline in overall arrivals and revenue, the increase in direct air connections gives Phuket additional capacity to attract international travellers during the final months of 2026.
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