PHUKET, 24 October 2018: India’s Go Air has arrived in in Phuket and promises to make Phuket its Thailand hub.
It commenced services, earlier this month, with five direct weekly flights from two cities in India, but it has announced big plans to grow its network beyond the southern Thailand island.
“Phuket is our first international route. Our inaugural flight landed on the island on 11th October and the level of interest from Indian travellers has been excellent,” said GoAir managing director, Jeh Wadia, who credits Phuket Marina founder and owner, Gulu Lalvani, for providing the inspiration.
“Thanks to Gulu Lalvani, who convinced me to open-up Phuket to the Indian market, we are making Phuket our Thailand hub. We already have routes from Mumbai and Delhi to Phuket and by the end of next year we will increase cover to 10 Indian cities with direct flights to Phuket,” he commented.
India is a country of more than 1.3 billion people with a rapidly growing appetite for international travel. World Bank data shows that almost 22 million Indians travelled overseas in 2017, while the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) predicts that India will account for 50 million outbound tourists by 2020.
Figures look set to more than double in three years, but that doesn’t surprise Lalvani who pioneered the island’s first luxury yacht marina and holiday home complex.
“I have been looking at India for a number of years and India holds great potential for Phuket. Indians are already familiar with Thailand… Having worked closely with GoAir and highlighting Phuket’s potential to them, I am very excited to see Jeh Wadia and his team investing in Phuket and I think this is the beginning of great things for the island.”
The start of direct flights to Phuket could not have come at a better time for the island. Opening up Phuket to the second largest country in the world, will help to soften the impact declining arrivals from China.
“The upside for Phuket is clear and the potential is limitless. These direct three-to-four flights from India will benefit Phuket’s economy immensely. As well as bringing more lucrative Indian weddings to Phuket, their average holiday spend is high. Typically May and June have the lowest hotel occupancy in Phuket, yet this is the school holiday period in India and a time when many Indians travel. GoAir’s direct flights will help to provide a big boost to the island’s tourism businesses during this period,” added Lalvani.
“India has the highest level of pollution in the world today and once Indian travellers realise they can go non-stop to the paradise island of Phuket, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Indian arrivals out number Chinese arrivals within three years.”
Owned by Waida Group, one of India’s oldest conglomerates established in 1736, GoAir is a leading LCC in India and was recently reported to be the fastest growing airline in the world by Routes Online.
“We will also soon be flying to Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok. Thailand is a big part of our international expansion, it is a destination popular with Indian travellers and Phuket is at the heart of that,” explained Wadia. “Ninety percent of our aircraft are new and within six months this will be 100%. We placed an order for 164 planes and have taken delivery so far of 41. Our plans for Phuket and the region are big.”
