Phuket Hotel Trading Remains Sound

Despite the ongoing political crisis which has dominated headlines, Phuket's high season hotel trading remained resilient.
According to data from STR Global, average occupancy for the period of January through April hit 81.7%. Comparing this to the same period in 2013, the impact of Bangkok demonstrations resulted in a 1.6% drop. On the other hand average rates were up 2.1% and RevPAR 0.4%.
Bangkok though was down 27.3% for the period with citywide occupancies achieving 55.7%. The biggest loser was the impact on RevPAR which shrunk 27.5%.
Looking forward, the months of May and September are typically Phuket's lowest tourism trading months and this pattern is expected to continue.
One development which hotels are tracking is the effect that the closure of Phuket International Airport's runway, between May 15th to August 12th will have. The runaway is being closed for maintenance from 1 am to 7 am.
A number of flights to Mainland China and north Asia operate during this time. While some airlines have adjusted schedules, Sichuan Airlines has relocated their route to Krabi for the interim basis.