Minister Phiphat revealed the move following a meeting with key tourism figures and top local government officials, including the Governor of Phuket and the Governor of Phang Nga, at the Royal Phuket City Hotel yesterday (Aug 4).
The meeting on Aug 25 will be held at in Beyond Resort Kata, Mr Phiphat said.
“At the meeting will be representatives from the private sector, officials from the relevant ministries, including environment, and ministers will come,” he said.
At the meeting yesterday were Phuket tourism heavy-hitters Kanokkittika Kritwutikorn, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket office; former Phuket Senator Tunyaratt Achariyachai, who for years served as Chairperson on the Senate Standing Committee for Tourism; Bhuritt Maswongssa, General Manager of the Patong Resort Hotel and key member Tourism Development Committee of South Andaman Tourism Development Area under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports; and Sirawee Waloh, chief of the Phuket Provincial Office of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
At the meeting, the high-end tourism figures and government officials were given some basic truths about Phuket’s tourism industry as made clear by Chayanon Phucharoen, a lecturer at the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism at Prince of Songkla University.
“There are some things that tourists want Phuket people to fix. It is a matter of transportation safety, beaches cleanliness, food and beverage hygiene, general taxi fares and other issues,” Mr Chayanon said.
“Research data about tourists in Phuket shows that about one third of our tourists come back to Phuket mostly because of Phuket people’s good hospitality,” Mr Chayanon explained.
“About 90% of tourists come to Phuket because of the beach sand attractions, but by the third visit they are bored with what is available here.
“But they do not have to be bored with coming here if Phuket province has all the necessary things to attract them,” he added.
Mr Chayanon recognised the current value of the baht compared with source market currencies as key factor affecting the current tourism situation.
“The value of the Thai baht has impacted Phuket tourism. It has made the cost for tourists visiting here much higher. Ten years ago tourists spent about B4,509 per person per day. Now they need to spend about B7,800,” he said.
“Also, large players and new innovations have played a part. The number of bookings through online applications are much higher than those booking through tour agents,” Mr Chayanon added.
Despite his initial fairly positive assessment of Phuket’s tourism situation on Saturday, Tourism Minister Phiphat yesterday admitted that his on-the-street tour of the island over the weekend had changed his appreciation of the tourism outlook for the island.
“I am impressed with my Phuket trip, but my observation here is that there are few Chinese tourists here, but there a lot of Indian and Australian tourists,” he said.
Mr Phiphat said he had been informed of many problems, including issues related to tour guides; the ongoing expansion at Phuket International Airport and slots for more flights, and the need to push the development of a new “second” airport in Phang Nga.
The fall in the number of tourists and the current restrictions on opening hours for entertainment business were other critical issues, Mr Phiphat noted.
“These issues will discussed by the relevant officials and representatives from the private sector to come up with solutions at the next meeting, at the Beyond resort Kata on Aug 25,” Mr Phiphat said.
Mr Phiphat openly gave his support for extended trading hours for bars and entertainment businesses on the island, following his tour of Bangla Rd in Patong on Saturday night.
“Entertainment businesses should be open until 2am or 4am,” the Tourism Minister said.
“Honestly, I prefer entertainment areas to remain open until 4am, because most Western tourists go out to eat at about 9-10pm, then they go out to nightclubs after they have had dinner.
“But entertainment businesses (now) close at about midnight. If this continues, it will cause damage (to Phuket’s tourism industry).”