LIKE A full 747 circling for a gap in the traffic, Phuket's signs of prosperity are in sight but out of reach.
Will there be a recovery on Phuket? And if one is on the way, when will it land? The answer is accurate, but deliberately vague: not soon.
Passenger figures for Phuket for December are hugely deceptive. International arrivals and departures jumped by 12.85 percent. Domestic traffic? Up by an astonishing 70.15 percent.
Don't believe any of that nonsense. Bear in mind that December 2008 marked the invasion of Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok.
Phuket, though, functioned as an escape route for many tourists who were trapped in the capital by the protest. While this year's December figures seem astonishingly good, do not be fooled.
For the whole of 2009, international arrivals and departures were down by 4.91 percent, with the domestic side compensating a little by increasing 5.04 percent.
The magic six million mark for passenger trips continued to elude Phuket. In 2008, the number of arrivals and departures totalled 5,730,748. Last year that figure nudged up to 5,779,918.
As 2008 was the year of the Phuket airport invasion and the Bangkok airports invasions, you can see why that 747 is still circling.
Tourists who did come brought less to spend and picked up discounts on their holidays on just about everything, except the tuk-tuks.
By our rough rule of thump, which is a typo but an appropriate one, the Phuket economy remains adrift of the record 2007-2008 high season by about 20 percent.
If you desperately need something to look forward to, Valentines Day coincides with Chinese New Year on February 14.
Be prepared to have all the fun you can before Phuket slips into another prolonged low season. There are no happy landings scheduled just yet. Roll on, 2011.
Will there be a recovery on Phuket? And if one is on the way, when will it land? The answer is accurate, but deliberately vague: not soon.
Passenger figures for Phuket for December are hugely deceptive. International arrivals and departures jumped by 12.85 percent. Domestic traffic? Up by an astonishing 70.15 percent.
Don't believe any of that nonsense. Bear in mind that December 2008 marked the invasion of Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok.
Phuket, though, functioned as an escape route for many tourists who were trapped in the capital by the protest. While this year's December figures seem astonishingly good, do not be fooled.
For the whole of 2009, international arrivals and departures were down by 4.91 percent, with the domestic side compensating a little by increasing 5.04 percent.
The magic six million mark for passenger trips continued to elude Phuket. In 2008, the number of arrivals and departures totalled 5,730,748. Last year that figure nudged up to 5,779,918.
As 2008 was the year of the Phuket airport invasion and the Bangkok airports invasions, you can see why that 747 is still circling.
Tourists who did come brought less to spend and picked up discounts on their holidays on just about everything, except the tuk-tuks.
By our rough rule of thump, which is a typo but an appropriate one, the Phuket economy remains adrift of the record 2007-2008 high season by about 20 percent.
If you desperately need something to look forward to, Valentines Day coincides with Chinese New Year on February 14.
Be prepared to have all the fun you can before Phuket slips into another prolonged low season. There are no happy landings scheduled just yet. Roll on, 2011.
Latest Phuket News
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Phuket Has Too Many Tuk-Tuks, says Police Chief
Will This Photo Give Phuket Real Public Transport?
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Phuket Brewery Closes, But the Venue Rocks On
UPDATE: Bye Bye Brewery Bid goodbye to a bold adventure that gave Phuket its largest quality live stage venue . . . and say hello to the Whisky and Moonlight chain that will give it a fresh start.
Phuket Brewery Closes, But the Venue Rocks On
Phuket Drowning: 'Where's Max? Where's Max?'
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Phuket Drowning: 'Where's Max? Where's Max?'
And what will they blame low numbers on. They will blame world recession and the Thai fighting within the goverment, like they always do. Numbers will keep falling unless they crush double pricing and the scams as Phuket is now known as the LAND OF SCAMS.
Editor: We've advocated the Government first making Suvarnabhumi scam-free, then turning its attention to the most appropriate province. If corruption can be obliterated on Phuket, then the government has a tourism magnet and a role model for the entire country. Double-pricing is not a scam. There are arguments for and against it.
Posted by dale'y on January 9, 2010 04:29