Phuket Vice Governor Snith Sriwihok officially opened the event at 7pm last night (Sept 1), joined by Krisda Ratanapruek Director Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Southern Thailand Region.
The event is also being held to hightlight Phuket being recognised by Unesco as Creative City for Gastronomy.
There are currently 47 cities from 33 countries included as new members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, but Phuket is one of only 18 cities worldwide* – and the only city in Southeast Asia – that has been accredited in the category by Unesco, Mr Krisda noted.
“Tourism is one of the main key economic drivers bringing revenue into Thailand, and the government has a policy to stimulate local tourism to distribute income to communities quickly and thoroughly,” he said.
“For 2018, the TAT set policy to stimulate spending in the country. One of the strategies is to stimulate and promote ‘endemic’ tourism products through various activities such as co-ordinating with travel agencies, offering local tours, presenting a route to visit food resources, let the tourists know how to cook food events. Phuket is one of these areas,” he added.
There are more than 60 booths at the event. Visitors are spoiled for choice at the event with a wide array of food , ranging from iconic Phuket dishes such as Mee Hokkien (Chinese Malay noodle fare), Mee Hun Ba Chang (rice vermicelli noodles with pork spare rib soup), and Oh Tao (fried small oysters mixed with taro, shrimp, pork crackling and spring onions) to fresh seafood.
There will be many other culinary delights to suit every appetite, including fusion food from modern kitchens, halal food and a comprehensive range of desserts. There will be also signature dishes from 14 provinces across Thailand’s Southern Region.
Meanwhile, the DIY – do it yourself – zone offers food lovers to try a hand at cooking local Phuket dishes.
Among the entertainment are cooking contests and a special demonstration by Iron Chef Thailand Chef Teng Chef Eak Prathet, a bartender skills contests and artists from Thailand's Got Talent, as well as lucky prize draws.
People are asked to bring their own dishes to reduce the use of styrofoam and plastic.
Dishes cost from B50 per serving, with smaller snacks costing less.
The event concludes tonight (Sept 2).
* The United Nations Unseco Creative Cities website (click here) currently lists only 15 cities worldwide: Belém, Bergen, Cochabamba, Ensenada, Florianopolis, Hatay, Macao, Östersund, Panama City, Phuket, Rasht, San Antonio, Tucson, Tsuruoka and Zahlé.