PHUKET losing the next big Asean conference to Pattaya is one of those good news, bad news events.

The good news: Phuket is doing so well around the time the larger of two Asean conferences was scheduled in April that Bangkok officials couldn't find enough accommodation at the right kind of resorts.

The bad news: Phuket should be able to cope with large conferences of this kind as a matter of course. When will the island be given the facilities it needs?

The fact that Phuket was the preferred destination should sheet home to the government the need for real spending on infrastructure on the island.

Instead of enjoying the delights of Phuket's excellent beaches and glorious coral reefs, top government representatives from around the region will see Pattaya, Thailand's premier sex tourism destination: Nature at its worst.

Things are not going so well there as they are in Phuket. But the image of Thailand as a family holiday destination is likely to be dented somewhat by a Pattaya experience.

It's a shame but as far as the government is concerned, all we can say is sum num naa (serves you right.)

Had you forced your predecessors in government to give Phuket the facilities it has desperately needed for decades, you would be presenting a much more pleasant image of the country to people whose opinions count.

As Phuketwan has reported, resorts on the island are hoping for a boost in occupancy rates when Songkran and Easter collide next month.

The Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket, where the last Asean shindig was centred, reports a bookigs rate of 75 percent for Songkran-Easter. It's similar at other big Phuket resorts, and only a few meet security requirements for such a gathering.

Late bookings have become a trend in the tourism industry, so it's plain that there's another lesson for governments from this fiasco: book early, especially if you have an extra large family to accommodate.

Here's how the big switcheroo was reported in The Australian newspaper:

''The change comes just a week after Phuket was named to host the April 10-12 summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations leaders plus China, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and India.

''The conference was originally due to take place in Bangkok in December, but was postponed after anti-Government protesters besieged the capital's airports and has since been repeatedly rescheduled.

''We have made a decision that the summit should be held in Pattaya,'' Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat told AFP, adding that it would likely be held at the plush Royal Cliff Beach Hotel.''

And just in case you have forgotten, the newspaper adds: ''The airport siege and other political unrest cost Thailand billions of dollars in economic damage and also harmed its status as a tourist destination.''

The much smaller Asean Plus One education summit is still going ahead on Phuket from April 5-9.

But Timor Leste (the Plus One) is not quite the in-crowd gang made up by the 10 nations of Asean plus China, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and India.



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