PHUKET: A Chinese Consulate is close to opening on Phuket, envoys revealed today before going behind closed doors to confer with departing Phuket Governor Maitree Intrusud.

Ms Wang Huijuan, Deputy Consul General and Director of the Phuket Consular Office of the Consul General, talked to the governor with her secretary, Kong Zhulei.

The opening of a Chinese Consular office on Phuket will make dealing with the issues raised by Chinese tourists and businesspeople much easier.

Slowly but surely, the holiday island is becoming more international and more transparent, rejecting the old-fashioned approach of tight control on the release of information.

For the first time that Phuketwan can remember, last week's meeting of the honorary consuls with the governor included representatives of China and the US, along with Tourist Police of Russian extraction.

Phuket's greatest strength as a tourist destination is the diversity of visitors and the willingness of the local leaders in the tourism industry to adopt international standards.