Phuket’s accommodation occupancy rate was 66.32% in September 2026, against 65.84% in September 2025. That is the third month in a row above the year before. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) published the September figures on 13 October 2026. Total visitors were almost the same as a year earlier, up 0.14%, and this is the first month since February with more visitors than in 2025. Thai visitors, up 5.57%, carried that gain. Foreign visitors fell 1.34%, and visitor revenue fell 1.05%.
So September was flat, not weak. Small gains sit next to small falls. For an owner who relies on rental income, one rate for the whole island does not show what a single unit earned.
September: more Thai guests, fewer foreign ones
MOTS counts 975,945 guests staying in Phuket accommodation in September 2026, against 966,975 a year earlier, up 0.93%. Total visitors were 1,051,080, against 1,049,578. Thai visitors rose to 238,110 from 225,540. Foreign visitors fell to 812,970 from 824,038. Foreign visitors were still about 77% of all visitors, calculated from the MOTS figures.
Total visitor revenue was ฿43,741.11 million, against ฿44,204.55 million. That is about ฿463 million less, calculated from the MOTS figures. Foreign visitor revenue fell 1.49%, to ฿40,562.11 million from ฿41,177.28 million. Thai visitor revenue rose 5.01%, to ฿3,179.00 million from ฿3,027.27 million. Thai visitors paid only about 7.3% of the September total, so their extra spending was too small to make up for the fall in foreign spending.
Occupancy has been above 2025 since July
The September gain of 0.48 percentage points follows gains in July and August. In July the rate was 74.15%, against 70.68%. In August it was 70.01%, against 68.90%. The gap over 2025 was smaller in September than in either of those months. Before July, every month from March to June was below 2025, and June was the weakest, at 61.74% against 66.79%. February was only marginally above the year before.
Foreign visitors and revenue are still below 2025
Foreign visitors and their spending have not followed occupancy up. Foreign visitors have been below 2025 in every month since February, and total visitor revenue has been below 2025 in every month since April. Taken together, July to September brought 3,288,569 visitors, against 3,330,341 in 2025 (down 1.25%). Foreign visitors fell 1.56% over those three months, and visitor revenue was ฿136,949.23 million, against ฿139,139.64 million (down 1.57%). These three-month totals are calculated from the MOTS monthly rows.
From January to September, MOTS counts 10,251,246 visitors to Phuket, 1.57% fewer than the 10,414,403 in 2025. Foreign visitors fell 2.40%, to 7,603,263. Thai visitors rose 0.89%, to 2,647,983. Guests staying in accommodation fell 1.16%, to 9,161,967. Total visitor revenue was ฿399,955.87 million, against ฿403,994.51 million, down 1.00%. Foreign visitor revenue fell 1.22%, to ฿369,488.72 million, and Thai visitor revenue rose 1.80%, to ฿30,467.15 million.
Who this affects
These figures matter to owners who rent out a condo or villa in Phuket, and to buyers who count on rental income when they choose a unit. Most visitors are foreign, and foreign visitors and their spending are still below 2025. A slightly higher island-wide occupancy rate does not tell an owner whether a particular unit was booked more, or at a better nightly rate.
What it may mean for Phuket property
Occupancy and visitor revenue are measures for the whole island. Visitor revenue is what visitors spent on the island, not what owners earned. When occupancy is above 2025 for three months but foreign visitors and revenue stay below 2025, room rates and the results of a single unit can move differently from the island-wide rate.
The season also matters. January to March brought ฿142,669.54 million in visitor revenue, about 36% of the ฿399,955.87 million total for January to September, calculated from the MOTS monthly rows. A rental-yield claim can look very different depending on the months it uses. A buyer should ask which months a yield figure covers.
What remains unknown
MOTS does not say why occupancy rose while foreign visitors and revenue fell. The release gives no room-supply figure, no length of stay, no split by property type and no nationality breakdown by province. The occupancy rate describes the whole island, not one unit or one type of property.
MOTS also gives a January–September occupancy rate of 58.91%, against 60.12% in 2025. This article does not use it. That figure is lower than each of the nine monthly rates in 2026, and the lowest month, June, was 61.74%. In its 14 September release, MOTS gave a January–August rate of 66.20%, against 67.64%. Adding a September month at 66.32% cannot bring an ordinary average down to 58.91%, and MOTS gives no method or room counts behind the figure. So this article quotes the monthly occupancy rates only. The January–September totals for visitors, guests and revenue do equal the sum of the monthly figures, and those are used above.
The September 2026 figures are preliminary, and MOTS may revise them. Revenue is in nominal baht. The data stops at September 2026, so it says nothing about the high season from November 2026 to March 2027. One month of flat visitor numbers is not a trend.
Related guides and data
- Rental yields in Phuket — what investors actually earn
- Phuket villa investment returns compared with condos
- Rental pool and guaranteed return programs in Phuket — how they actually work
- Phuket occupancy rose in July and August 2026, but visitors and revenue stayed below 2025
- Thailand’s foreign arrivals fell 10.5% in September 2026, with four Asian markets down sharply
