PHUKET: Shopping is booming on Phuket with the Jungceylon mall reporting crowds of up to 50,000 people a day. A new zone is to be created for 30 international brands, it was revealed yesterday.
Managing Director Prawit Janyasutchikul told a meeting in Patong that the 3000-square metre expansion would cost 50 million baht.
Numbers at the mall rose 18 percent in the first half of the year, he said. Income of 800 million baht was up seven percent on last year.
What Jungceylon has done in adding another ''s'' to Patong's mix of sun, sand and surf is something that Thailand hopes to repeat nationwide.
By the end of the year the government aims to abolish import duties of up to 30 percent on luxury watches, clothes and cosmetics as Thailand seeks to compete more strongly with Hong Kong and Singapore for wealthy travellers.
Although there are obvious dangers in becoming dependent on one market, Phuket is making a strong pitch to become China's preferred holiday destination.
There's plenty of evidence that the strategy is working, at least in terms of putting bums on flights and into resort beds.
On a list of the choices of China's top 25 destinations in 2012, Thailand places fourth - with a bullet.
Of all 25 destinations in the Euromonitor survey, Thailand shows the maximum year-on-year increase of 62.2 percent to 2,820,000 visitors.
The competition is closer to home but likely to become less enticing as Chinese travellers grow in numbers and seek more exotic adventures.
Hong Kong rates No. 1 with 15.1 million visits, followed by Macau with 7.9 million and South Korea with 3.3 million.
Taiwan, with 2,590,000 mainland Chinese visitors, has already been overtaken by Thailand. And behind Taiwan come Singapore, the US and Japan.
As good as the Chinese market seems to be for Thailand and Phuket, authorities should not lose focus on the need for diversity.
Having travellers from all over the world has made Phuket resilient to economic dowmturns in any single region.
And it's now widely recognised that numbers are not enough. What Phuket needs are spenders, the so-called ''quality'' tourists, wherever they come from.
Managing Director Prawit Janyasutchikul told a meeting in Patong that the 3000-square metre expansion would cost 50 million baht.
Numbers at the mall rose 18 percent in the first half of the year, he said. Income of 800 million baht was up seven percent on last year.
What Jungceylon has done in adding another ''s'' to Patong's mix of sun, sand and surf is something that Thailand hopes to repeat nationwide.
By the end of the year the government aims to abolish import duties of up to 30 percent on luxury watches, clothes and cosmetics as Thailand seeks to compete more strongly with Hong Kong and Singapore for wealthy travellers.
Although there are obvious dangers in becoming dependent on one market, Phuket is making a strong pitch to become China's preferred holiday destination.
There's plenty of evidence that the strategy is working, at least in terms of putting bums on flights and into resort beds.
On a list of the choices of China's top 25 destinations in 2012, Thailand places fourth - with a bullet.
Of all 25 destinations in the Euromonitor survey, Thailand shows the maximum year-on-year increase of 62.2 percent to 2,820,000 visitors.
The competition is closer to home but likely to become less enticing as Chinese travellers grow in numbers and seek more exotic adventures.
Hong Kong rates No. 1 with 15.1 million visits, followed by Macau with 7.9 million and South Korea with 3.3 million.
Taiwan, with 2,590,000 mainland Chinese visitors, has already been overtaken by Thailand. And behind Taiwan come Singapore, the US and Japan.
As good as the Chinese market seems to be for Thailand and Phuket, authorities should not lose focus on the need for diversity.
Having travellers from all over the world has made Phuket resilient to economic dowmturns in any single region.
And it's now widely recognised that numbers are not enough. What Phuket needs are spenders, the so-called ''quality'' tourists, wherever they come from.
"Quality" tourists will come to "Quality" places, but alas, Phuket doesn't count as a "Quality" place just yet.
Maybe when Thailand gets "Quality" management, the "Quality" will go up.
Posted by Tbs on September 11, 2013 09:12