Thammarat Wongcharoenyos, president of the Sports Association of Phuket, oversaw a press conference on Feb 27 to confirm the four day event will take place from Thursday (Mar 13) to Sunday at the northern area of Patong Beach near the dolphin roundabout.
The event will help boost both Phuket’s profile as a sports tourism destination and the local economy, said Mr Thammarat, as somewhere in the region of 15,000 to 20,000 people are expected to attend across the four days. It is estimated the event will generate approximately B120 million.
Air Sea Land Phuket 2025 consists of four principle sports, including Muay Thai, 3x3 basketball, a teqball tournament, which will all be held at Patong Beach, and a Taekwondo tournament, to be staged at Jungceylon shopping mall at the top of Bangla Road.
Furthermore, there will be live musical enteratinment at the end of each day’s action, to be held at Patong Beach, including artists The Toys and UrboyTJ as well as popular DJs such as 22 Bullets, Roxy June and Tong Apollo. There will also be a wide range of stalls selling street food and refreshments, with many drinks pormotions included.
Joining Mr Thammarat at the press conference, held at Simon Cabaret in Patong, was: Surasak Kedchantuk, Deputy Governor of the Thai Sports Promotion Department at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports; Samawit Suphanpai, Phuket Vice Governor; and Awut Nuchet, Patong deputy mayor of Patong district.
Mr Surasak explained that the event is a key part of the agency’s broader ‘Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year’ campaign to utilise sports tourism to help generate revenue nationally. The campaign is targeted to net over B3 trillion in 2025, he added.
Mr Samawit thanked the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and Sports of Thailand for its continued support of domestic and international sports events, in particular the Patong-based event. It is regarded as an effective way to boost tourism while helping grow the local economy, he explained, which contributes positively to the island’s overall image.
The event is free to attend and there will be a designated bus service to transport people to and from the venues in Patong. Further details can be accessed at the SAT Sports Fest Facebook page.