Kru Manit Sangphum, Chairman of the House of Representatives Transport Committee, was joined by a delegation of fellow MPs who travelled down from Bangkok to conduct a review of the current situation, whilst meeting with local officials at Phuket Provincial Hall.
Mr Kru met with Phuket Vice Governor Adul Chuthong and Wathanapong Suksai, Advisor to Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat, as well as selected heads of government agencies and relevant officials.
Mr Krun explained how Phuket has become one of the top tourist detsinations in the world that “tourists from all over the world intend to visit at least once in their lifetime”
The number of foreign tourists in the first half of 2024 was more than 4.3 million, Mr Kru explained, which is close to the number prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. As tourism generates billions of baht in revenue for the country it is therefore crucial to ensure that everything is done to achieve the aim of making “Phuket the best tourist city in the world,” he added.
One challenge that could undermine this is the ever-increasing volume of traffic on Phuket roads, Mr Kru said, which poses an inconvenience for both tourists and local residents that could ultimately tarnish the province’s image.
Mr Kru pointed to several visits made to Phuket by previous Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin who acknowledged the traffic problem and approved budget for construction work to be carried out to alleviate the issue, specifically the creation of the Heroines Underpass at the Heroines Monument on Thepkrasattri Rd.
There are many other projects that have been given approval, Mr Kru added, that will also ultimately help with traffic congestion, something that is a key objective of the current Paetongtarn Shinawatra government who acknowledge that Phuket is a “magnet for attracting income.”