Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn presided over the press launch for the event at The PlayYard Phuket in Mai Khao late Tuesday afternoon (Mar 29).
Joining him were Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew and Wittaya Singkala, Acting President of Phuket Bike Week Association.
The event this year, Phuket Bike Week 2022 “New Normal Ride Together”, will mark the 26th year the event has been held on the island, said Mr Wittaya.
“Phuket Bike Week will attract quality tourists and a group of big bike riders from 20 countries around the world, especially from neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, as well as the United States, which have high spending power,” he said.
“We are hoping to be another activity that can stimulate the tourism industry of Phuket to recover and become stable and strong in the long term,” Mr Wittaya said.
Bike Week this year will feature many of its mainstay attractions, including a custom motorcycle contest; a touring model and classic model contest; an exhibition of rare, collectible motorcycles; and American classic cars on show.
Riders from all leading groups will join the big bike caravan procession to campaign for safe driving and obey traffic rules, while entertainment will include the Miss Phuket Bike Week Contest as well as live concerts by famous artists Ad Carabao, Baowee and Job2Do, among others.
With the home of Bike Week this year being The Playyard in Mai Khao, water sports competitions will also feature at this year’s event. At the press launch on Tuesday children took to the water to display their dinghy sailing skills.
The event will be held strictly within the COVID Free setting measures, Mr Wittaya assured.
“It is expected that during the three days of the event the spending per person per day will be about B20,000 to B30,000, which will directly inject not less than B60 million into local businesses,” Mr Wittaya said.
Tourism Minister Phiphat was expecting the economic impact of the event to be much more. “There will be tourists and big bike lovers, both Thais and foreigners, coming to attend the event in large numbers,” he said.
“Due to COVID-19, we have not been able to hold normal activities and the tourism industry has faced a lot of problems. It has affected entrepreneurs and business operators in the tourism industry as a whole,” Mr Phiphat noted..
“Therefore, in order to stimulate the economy of the tourism sector of Phuket, this will build confidence for both Thai and foreign tourists. It is a good opportunity for the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Phuket Province, Phuket Bike Week Association and many other parties involved to highlight the availability of places [in Phuket] that can combine both water activities and other events in the one place,” he said.
“The 26th Phuket Bike Week 2022 will see tourists arriving in early May, one week before the event. This will bring a lot of money into the area. In addition to the people taking part in the event, there will also be the people travelling with them, which altogether will help generate more than B500mn to B1 billion to be distributed throughout the southern region besides Phuket,” Mr Phiphat said.
“Phuket Bike Week 2022 is an activity that can open people’s perspective of tourism in Phuket. They can ride around the island and appreciate the beauty and nature of the island up close. The event also shows the cooperation and unity of those who love to ride big motorcycles, fostering the relationship between Asian riders and a global network.
“We ask for cooperation from all people to welcome people coming for the event and be a good host in welcoming and taking care of safety to create an impression and strength of tourism in Phuket and Thailand,” Mr Phiphat concluded.