Oprettet af peter greersen d. 13-05-2024 16:05
#2
An influx of Russians is transforming the holiday island of Phuket, driving up property prices as well as fuelling local resentment over the flow of money into the country.
While Wester
n countries have sought to isolate Russia with sanctions, Thailand has welcomed Russian visitors as it tries to rebuild its tourism industry post-COVID.
The Thai government has recently moved to increase the length of Russian tourist visas from 30 days to 90 days.
Almost half a million Russians arrived in Phuket in the first half of this year and more than 9,000 of those were granted long-stay visas.
To cater to this market, Russian restaurants and businesses have begun popping up, while signs and menus have been translated into Cyrillic.