PHUKET is fully booked for the first week of February because of Chinese New Year, says Tourism Authority of Thailand regional director Bangornrat Shinaprayoon.

January is running at 80 percent occupancy at Phuket resorts, she says. The Year of the Rabbit, which begins on February 3, is triggering the multiplication of visitors from Singapore, Malaysia, China and Korea.

Many of the visiting tourists will come by coach from Singapore and Malaysia. In looking further into 2011, Khun Bangornrat said visitor numbers from Asia were likely to continue to rise.

The number of Russians coming to Phuket was up by 40 percent, and likely to keep heading up, while the Australian market continued to remain strong.

Khun Bangornrat, just back from Iran, the first Phuket tourism road trip of the year, predicted a continuing rise in Middle East tourism.

Iran-based Mahan Air, which in early December made the first scheduled non-stop flight from the Middle East to the island, is expected to increase flights in February and again in March, she said.

The Phuket road show to the Iranian capital of Teheran and Isfahan was made by a team of 15, including representatives from 10 Phuket resorts. They met with 90 agencies and suppliers in those cities.

Khun Bangornrat said that people from the Middle East generally came to Thailand for shopping and usually visited Bangkok as well as Phuket, staying on average for a week.

Phuket's essential advantage over other destinations in Thailand was its one-third Muslim population and its commitment to international halal standards.