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Phuket Record of 11.3m Airport Passengers

Phuket Record of 11.3m Airport Passengers

Wednesday, January 8, 2014
PHUKET: A record number of passengers passed through Phuket International Airport in 2013 with the turnstiles stopping at 11,342,676 arrivals and departures, a remarkable figure for an overcrowded little facility.

So what, you are entitled to say. At least local authorities now seem to be recognising that it's an irrelevant number, unless you happen to be interested in the degradation of Phuket's irreplaceable coral reefs and beaches.

Sadly, there are still local media organisations and even tourism officials who think that bigger is better, that the larger the tally, the greater Phuket's prosperity.

They will take that figure of arrivals and departures and unthinkingly pretend it's the total of overseas tourists for Phuket in 2013.

That misrepresentation will be pounced on with glee by a few rich families in Bangkok who always wanted a resort in Phuket and they will build their resort then wonder why the profit margin is so small.

Until there's a turnstile at Phuket International Airport that can count in advance the amount of money each tourist is going to spend on the island, statistics will be compiled and misused, compiled and misused, over and over again.

The media organisations won't bother to check. The misquoting authorities plainly couldn't care, as long as it's a large, impressive number.

Yet what Phuket needs is a future carefully planned around its so-called carrying capacity - that is, its ability to sustain a balance between nature and nurture.

Too many people have been sucking on Phuket's teats without realising that the island's wonderous ability to sustain so many is drying up and will eventually disappear, without proper care and the renewal of energy.

The hope is that the rebuilt Phuket International Airport will retain a maximum capacity of 12 million arrivals and departures, that the rush for larger numbers without real thought of the consequences will subside, and that Phuket will learn the lessons of history.

The figures, for those who are impressed by them, are that December with 1,036,638 arrivals and departures became the fifth month of 2013 to exceed the magic seven figures.

International arrivals rose by just 10.94 percent in December but 26.02 percent for the year. The overall increase on 2012 was up 18.88 percent. Quarters two and three showed greatest acceleration, at 24.53 percent and 23,16 percent, with Q1 and Q4 quieter at 15.70 percent and 14.10 percent.

If Phuketwan was forced to make a prediction, we'd say that the Phuket boom will continue briefly but that consolidation is called for and Phuket's teats need intensive care.

Comments

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So what?

Posted by Charles on January 8, 2014 18:43

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Unfortunately, Phuket is owned by many greedy business people where money talk is more important than environment and sustainable developments. Many of them are senior civil servants or have been elected at local levels and have a firm hands on all decisions.

Posted by Whistle-Blower on January 8, 2014 19:29

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If you want to know what is going to happen, just take a look at Bali.

Posted by Jakub P. on January 8, 2014 20:51

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WOW::: Very good analisys... Ed I'm very happy say to you welcome to the club of "the doomsayer"..

Posted by dave on January 9, 2014 09:06

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Phuket has lost most of its premium customers who have moved onto Khao Lak and Krabi. Premium customers want an exotic location with rainforest and pristine beaches which Phuket can no longer offer them due to lack of vision ! Phuket can only offer empty shophouses , high rise condos and endless traffic jams and if you want to visit the rainforest ( or whats left of it ) you have to pay

Posted by julie on January 9, 2014 09:11

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@ Jakub P. I do not know what happened to Bali, could you please give me some comprehensive information on what did happen to Bali? Thank you.

Posted by Robin on January 9, 2014 09:46

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A couple of Billionaires arriving here once a year and buying a hotel or bringing 265 people for a birthday bash, hardly constitutes sustainable quality tourists. The quality tourists all left for better shores in January 2011. We warned then what would happen, but nobody had the ears or foresight to listen and see. We were called doomsayers then. Now we are still doomsayers, but the quality tourist has been replaced by back packers and fudge packer tours.No spending money to speak off, holiday budgets are kept in check now.

Posted by Robin on January 9, 2014 09:56

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I keep reading about Phuket being full and not a hotel room to be found but only this morning I received an email from an online booking company with 3 pages of half price hotels for Phuket.

Posted by richie on January 9, 2014 09:59

Editor Comment:

In January and February? Really?

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Phuket has lost much of what the high quality tourist wants and in its place we have the bus loads of cheap package tourists all on low budgets. The jungle has been ripped out and in its place high rise condos can be seen sprouting up all over the Island - but who is going to buy them ? A lack of vision for the Island has allowed us to arrive at where we are now - can it be un-done ? I doubt it ........

Posted by Ben on January 9, 2014 12:30

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As another poster says it is lot of hotel rooms available in Phuket both in January and February.

Posted by Harald on January 9, 2014 12:40


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