SOME PEOPLE may still say ''Phuket, Thailand,'' but only in talking to those few who need reminding. As with ''New York, USA'' or ''London, England,'' there is no longer any need to tell people where they can find Phuket. We know.

Phuket has achieved a greater measure of independence than ever from ''Thailand'' in the year leading up to this week's ITB Berlin travel trade fair, world's most significant tourism gathering.

Yet the big question remains: although the world can now easily find Phuket, can Phuket find itself? As a tourism destination and as a place to live, there is so much about the island that is blurry at present, perhaps shaken, some believe, by the speed of greed.

Burbling along beneath the chatter and the deals that will be negotiated this week at the big Berlin fair will be an undercurrent that questions whether Phuket really has its act together as an international tourist destination.

Having tourists knifed in brawls, ripped off in jet-ski scams and overcharged for tuk-tuk transport does not signify a law-abiding community with safety and security at its core. Singapore has casinos and Phuket does not, yet visitors to Phuket are sometimes portrayed as the real gamblers.

Yet the truth is that despite Phuket's blemishes, most travel agents continue to view the big picture, which shows that over the past 12 months, Phuket has emerged from under Bangkok's shadow as the boom destination in Thailand.

Despite the unfair travel warnings during Bangkok's red rebellion that tarred all of Thailand as a risky destination, travellers who knew better flocked to Phuket on direct flights.

Since then Phuket, even with the island's weather no longer as certain as it once was, has stayed hot. The surging numbers are a problem that every other destination would love to have.

Are international travel agents concerned about Phuket's future? Do they care if, in five years or 10 years, the Phuket that is so appealing today has been degraded or concreted over?

That's one of the questions we hope to answer at this week's ITB Berlin, where the Phuket stand is expected to draw record business.

Hall 26/B should be buzzing. Tourism Authority of Thailand Phuket regional director Bangornrat Shinaprayoon is aiming to develop Phuket's marketing in 2011 as a watersports destination, at the same time highlighting the diversity of adventure activities on land as well.

With more Europeans settling for short-haul holidays, she believes Phuket's future will be its appeal to high-end customers who are in holiday mode for the long haul, and who really like the ''Phuket product.''

''Phuket has a reputation at the high end for top-quality service,'' Khun Bangornrat says. ''That is not going to change. Thailand's renowned hospitality is going to remain a surefire attraction. We just need to broaden Phuket's appeal in other ways.''

For Phuket the Berlin fair opens with a day of trade negotiations followed by a party.

These organisations and resorts have sent representatives:

Phuket Tourist Association; The Village Phuket (Coconut Island); The Old Phuket, Karaon Beach; AVISTA Phuket Resort & Spa; Banyan Tree Phuket; Best Western Allamanda Laguna Phuket; Bundarika Villa & Suites Phuket; DEWA Phuket; Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket; Movenpick Resort & Spa, Karon Beach Phuket; Kata Group Resort Phuket & Samui; Katathani Phuket Beach Resort; Laguna Beach Resort Phuket; M Resort Phuket; Mai Samui/Seaview & Andaman Seaview Phuket; Mercure Patong Phuket; Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort; The Merlin Phuket Hotels Resort; Millennium Resort Patong Phuket; Novotel Phuket Beach Resort Panwa; Novotel Phuket Resort; Outrigger Laguna Phuket Resort and Villas; Paresa Phuket; Phuket Graceland Resort & Spa; Radisson Plaza Resort Phuket Panwa Beach; Ramada Phuket South Sea; The Regent Phuket Cape Panwa; Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket; The Pavilions Phuket; The Surin Beach; The Vijitt Resort Phuket; Twin Palms Phuket; West Sands Phuket; La Flora Resort Group; Phuket International Airport; Centara Hotels & Resort.

Phuketwan is the only Phuket English-language media outlet that paid its way to ITB Berlin.