At the end of October, regular and charter flights to Phuket resumed, and the first post-pandemic charter brought almost 500 Russian tourists to the island. The Thai authorities have been pretty hard on coronavirus restrictions for two years, inventing intricate and obscure rules, but in the summer of 2022, all this was finally canceled: now you can safely relax on your favorite beaches without PCR tests, quarantines, masks and other joys. They report from the places: Phuket has not changed much – it is still good there, but still there are moments that can spoil the vacation. The “subtleties” found out which ones. /5r00tnd07ccowko0wcsg8s8w8.jpg” media=”(max-width: 549px)”> Holidays in Phuket can no longer be called budget. And the point is not at all that prices for hotels, services and goods on the island have slightly increased – this just doesn’t scare anyone. The cost of package tours and flights has increased by an average of 2-3 times, even for 7-8 days in a modest “three rubles” you will have to fork out a lot (from 160,000 RUB for two without meals). The times when Phuket could be called a mass destination for Russians are in the past. No guests from Russia – no need for Russian-speaking managers in hotels and inscriptions on the great and mighty. After the pandemic, the tourist flow from our country did not have time to recover at least partially, so the tourism industry workers “forgot” the Russian language. In almost all hotels, the staff will communicate in English, and menus with translation have disappeared from cafes, which turned out to be an unpleasant discovery for some travelers. The same applies to tour agencies focused on Russians – you will have to look for them carefully. Many never resumed their work, and the rest went online. Thailand decided on the sly to get rid of foreign winterers who come to Phuket and other resorts for several months, spend only on flights and practically do not invest in the country's tourism infrastructure. In previous years, there were many of them – travelers from different countries with a backpack over their shoulders stormed cheap guesthouses, ate two cups of rice a day and enjoyed a carefree life for a long time on the shores of the Indian Ocean. Now, in order to obtain a semi-annual multi-visa, you need to provide an extract from a bank account containing an amount of 7000 USD or more (and it must lie there for at least 6 months), as well as a detailed travel plan and a certificate from the place of work or study. The busiest area in the south of Phuket is the “triangle” of Patong, Rawai and Nai Harn. There, the consequences of the pandemic are not felt at all: cafes, restaurants, bars, massage parlors, 7/11 stores are working as before. It looks like there are even more of them. Karon and Katya were not so lucky – many hotels, shops, restaurants and travel agencies are still closed. Toward evening, Kata comes to life a little, cafes open along the beach, and you can see the usual macaroons. Thai and European tourists settle in these areas – all this is tailored for them. When choosing a hotel, you should take into account that some places on the island, previously densely populated with entertainment venues, are somewhat deserted, and parties there may not be as crazy as they were a few years ago. Sic transit, as they say. 
1. Expensive tours and flights
2. The “Russian spirit” disappeared from the island
4. Winterers-backpackers are no longer held in high esteem
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5. Infrastructure has not recovered everywhere
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