Rich Russians isolated from the West are flocking to Thailand’s Phuket

(Image: Bloomberg)

Sat, 29 Jul 2023

Russian businessman Alexander Nakhapetov has been a regular at the “banyas” in his adopted home of Phuket ever since several of the traditional steam baths opened last year.Lately, though, the 41-year-old’s routine has been disrupted by an influx of his countrymen to Thailand’s biggest island – which has resulted in those new bathhouses being booked out much of the time.Patong Beach in Phuket in July. (Image: Andre Malerba/Bloomberg)While Phuket has long attracted Russia's wealthier citizens, the influx is acce...

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