A record number of passenger arrivals in the first two quarters of 2018 has sustained Phuket's tourism through a decline in the latter half of the year.

Research from C9 Hotelworks shows that Phuket Airport hosted more than nine million arrivals last year, representing an annual increase of 8% from 2017.

The data indicates more than half the arrivals were recorded in the first half of the year, with numbers growing by 17% from the early part of 2017.

It was a different story in the second half of the year, where tourist numbers declined compared with the previous year for the first time since 2015. 

C9 Hotelworks Managing Director Bill Barnett said a decrease in some markets contrasted with a jump in others.

"Mainland China was the most impacted source market which had a sluggish pace of -3% July-December 2018 versus a strong growth rate of 45% in the first half of last year," he said.

"In contrast, India was the highest amongst international source markets in 2018, with a 56% year-on-year increase.

"Moving forward Phuket is seeking to expand through more diverse markets and demand segments."

Source: The Thaiger

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