Russian tourists are flocking to Thai resorts as airlines in Europe, the United States and Japan continue their suspension of flights to and from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

Flights from Russia land one after another at the popular resort island of Phuket in southern Thailand.

Thailand also suspended direct airline services to and from Russia after the invasion began about a year ago. The move temporarily stranded Russian tourists in Thailand.

But airlines resumed direct flights in October. Now 90 round trips take place a week.

A Thai travel agency that mainly caters to Russians says more wealthy families are spending more time in Thailand, and this has pushed its profits to a record level.

The company's vice president says the Russian family entourages are usually large, including children, grandparents and babysitters. They spend about 15 to 17 days in Thailand and most stay at high-end hotels.

More than 80 percent of businesses on Phuket are engaged in tourism. The pandemic drove many foreign visitors away, hitting the local economy hard.

People in tourism-related businesses welcome the surge of Russian vacationers.

A restaurant owner says about 85 percent of its customers are from Russia. She adds that the resumption of direct flights is like winning the lottery.