Flights between Israel and Phuket could increase to five or six a week if a third Israeli airline begins operating on the route, according to a local media report today, September 23.
Phuket Times reported today that two Israeli airlines, El Al Israel Airlines and Arkia Israeli Airlines, currently operate direct flights between Tel Aviv and Phuket.
According to Phuket Times, the demand for the route has led another Israeli airline, Israir Airline, to consider launching direct flights between Israel and Phuket.
If the reported service goes ahead, the number of direct flights could increase to five or six per week from the current four to five, according to the local media outlet.
However, neither Israir Airline nor Phuket authorities have announced the reported route. Phuket Times also did not identify a source for the claim, meaning the proposed service has not been confirmed.
Phuket Times also linked the expected increase in flights to rising numbers of Israeli visitors to the island. The outlet reported that Israeli arrivals increased by 52% in July but did not provide the source of its figure.
Data from the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) Phuket office shows a similar figure, stating 16,152 Israeli visitors arrived in Phuket in July, an increase of 52.43% compared with the same month last year. Arrivals were also 1,204.68% higher than in July 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Israeli market recorded the fastest growth among Phuket’s top 10 source markets for July, according to the TAT figures.
Russia remained Phuket’s largest source market during the first seven months of the year, with 619,130 visitors. China followed with 383,918 and India with 354,066.
Australia ranked fourth with 149,542 visitors, followed by the UK with 131,344. Germany recorded 106,902 visitors, France 103,752, Malaysia 87,854, Kazakhstan 81,673 and South Korea 79,960.
Phuket received 8,096,059 visitors between January and July, down 1.53% from the same period last year, according to the TAT Phuket office.
Tourism revenue during the seven months reached approximately 310.96 billion baht, a decrease of 0.72% year on year. Hotel occupancy stood at 75.56%, down 1.74%.
The figures show that overall visitor numbers to Phuket were slightly lower than last year despite strong growth from some international markets, including Israel.
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