Too Many Tourists In Phuket!

[NBT TV Phuket]

Go to http://www.thaisnews.com/news_detail.php?newsid=201708

to see an interview with Dr. Suvit Yodmani, the Minister of Tourism and Sports,

who says arrival figures not important and he welcomes all types of tourists, inlcuding backpackers......

He came down from Bangkok for a meeting about the tourism industry in the south for officials, tour operators, & hotel owners, held at the Metropole Hotel, yesterday Monday the 8th of January. He discussed various issues, including a convention centre, sports facilities & events, the Elite card, marketing and tourist arrival figures, but first we asked what the main aim of the meeting was:

……...

Contact: www.mots.go.th

Tel. 02 283 1500, Fax 02 356 0746

__________

from Andaman News TV11 (VHF dial) + Radio Thailand FM90.5 Phuket City, both broadcast to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces, 8.30am & later on Phuket Cable channel 1, Tuesday 9 January 2007 & www.Thaisnews.com { Our news text and mini-videos can be freely copied , but please give credit to Andaman News TV11 Phuket}

[Crow Boy]

Can someone please enlighten the rest of us as to what a "doobie" is?

A doobie is a variety of cigarette which usually does not have tobacco but uses an alternative form of vegetation.

[LivinLOS]

...

Five metres from the shoreline was pretty much a rubbish dump of plastic bags assorted empties etc.

These are the things the Thais need to focus on.

Perhaps a few bins and a collection service would be a good start.

Yup, bang on. I live in Phuket, where I’m building a house. On one side is open jungle. Despite two years of asking, pleading, invoking the Buddha, and then issuing threats it is actually impossible to stop Thais from chucking rubbish. Literally tonnes of junk – from heavy concrete to every days’ plastic lunch bags and polystyrene containers ends up there.

On five occasions I’ve personally paid a crew to clear it all up. This was both interesting and instructive. The uneducated Thais who do that kind of work actually don’t perceive what I call unsightly rubbish in the same way that a Westerner does. They genuinely did not understand what I wanted – That is a leaf fallen from a tree: leave it alone; That is a plastic bag or bit of concrete: take it away. No, not move it over there then chuck it somewhere else, *take it away*. It was very difficult. Their perception is just different.

This is not to impose cultural imperialism – it’s just the way it is.

It went a long way to explain to me the piles of garbage along some of the potentially beautiful roads here, and as others have said the beaches are full of rubbish too and it is not generally the tourists who put it there.

Likewise the crap finishing on buildings; and beachfronts (eg Surin) which are supposedly ‘high-end’ (Ha Ha), but are actually a bit dilapidated, with broken concrete walls, crooked steps, stinking open drains, dirty furniture and no end of trash everywhere.

Could it be that the Thais just don’t see it the same way that us Westerners do?

Maybe us Westerners should learn not to care so much.

Discuss :-)

You have hit the nail firmly on the head.. And that seems to me to be a general 3rd world / developing world problem.. Somehow the perception of environment, surroundings, etc isnt the same.. wifey used to not see what problem there was about simply throwing a bottle into the jungle (or beach) why not, its just a bottle !!!

Sad to say that the failure to preserve the natural surroundings feels almost inevitable considering the Thai mindset of mai pen rai..

[falux]

I do not think that unmoral waste disposal should be blamed on Germans. I happen to have lived in Germany, and they were extremely conscious about nature. They used strictly catalyzed cars (in 2000), separated garbage into 6 different categories, removed the poo of their dogs from the street ( I dont even consider that garbage ). Yes, they were fat and drinking loads of beer in the evening, but none I knew threw any garbage into nature.

[LivinLOS]

The local paper here - Phuket Post - has run a story last week questioning the TAT figures of 4.7 m visitors last year. According to Airport Authority of Thailand there were 2.3 m arrivals through Phuket. If you add the number of departures it comes to around the 4.7 m the TAT are claiming.

If the AOT figures are correct this means 2.4m people arrived by sea or by bus - about 180 buses per day, all full.

And check out the maths on the rooms - does not add up or there are some very crowded rooms.

Strikes me as another unthought out scare story at a time that the Island does not need one.

Another factor to consider.. I visa run to Sing or wherever each 90 days.. Does that make me 4x arrivals ?? Those 30 day stampers on the Ranong busses.. Do all 30 or so of them come 12 times per year ??

[ourmanflint]

Just as an FYI many Thais could not afford to go to phuket if all the cheap hotels went away. That would be sad.

Mai bpen rai. I guess.

There you have it! Thai tourists are "low class" tourists while westerners are "high class" tourists because we spend 10 times as much!

At least thet how TAT sees it!

[Felt 35]

After 10 years in Phuket it’s very disappointing that the once so nice place is degenerating on every level.

Unfortunately do it seems like the people in charge have a hard time to understand that to take the step from developing to developed country need other ingredients than to exploit their own land.

If the Government not begin to enforce their laws and regulate the environment, traffic, pollution, waste, energy, water resources and noise this place is going down the drain.

[capt_canada42]

After 10 years in Phuket it’s very disappointing that the once so nice place is degenerating on every level.

Unfortunately do it seems like the people in charge have a hard time to understand that to take the step from developing to developed country need other ingredients than to exploit their own land.

If the Government not begin to enforce their laws and regulate the environment, traffic, pollution, waste, energy, water resources and noise this place is going down the drain.

Come on people get real its," Doobie or not Doobie is the question".

Yes yes oh yes we have to all care and do our share traffic, pollution, waste energy, water, noise, but as for going down the drain I feel will swing both ways most people learn after awhile !

[dogblower]

Bitch, bitch, bitch!

I love Phuket, I've lived there just over 20 years, and if I wanted things to be the same as "back home" I'd go back there. As far as I'm concerned, for every step backward, they've made 2 steps forward.

I'm not rich, not a "quality" tourist, but I still feel welcome. The changes we're seeing? Well, money talks ....

[Rhys]

SAME OLD Sith

[BigSnake]

Maybe time for the GOVERNMENT to do something strange such as close the bars and other popular nightspot in Phuket at 11pm.

[Barryz]

O.K Here goes i dont claim to know much about the tourism industry in phuket but i would imagine making the place a high end tourist destination ie remove back packers, beer bar-ers, and like will not improve the tourism industry there. These so called high end family tourists they so desparately want there, i would imagine come mainly in the school holiday seasons which would leave the rest of the year looking pretty bleak, beer bars closed thais out of work. Mc donalds, burger kings, subways closed, how many rich familys eat in these places every night??, motorcycle renters gone, as these high end tourists will all be driving around in the new mercs and bmws they will be wanting to rent, the cheaper hotels out of business = derelict buildings the list goes on!!

Exactly! There should really be no problem at all in discouraging the 'low life' from visiting Phuket. Prostitution is illegal in Thailand. Just enforce the law.

Trouble is, businesses will suffer, tourist numbers will fall and total revenue for the island will fall, despite an increase in the number of 'nice' tourists with their kids.

The reality is, there's a lot of money in the sex trade. How often do you hear people raving about Suphanburi? Apparently that's a very nice, clean town with beautiful wide avenues, excellent roads and parks and a policy of not charging the falang more than the locals. There are apparently no girlie bars. The laws against prostitution are enforced and apparently, only a few 'respectable' Thais go there for their holidays. You hardly ever hear the place mentioned on forums such as this, except occasionally, 'Don't go there! There are no bars .'

[roego]

Don't know about Phuket, but during December 2006 in the royal city of Hua Hin. I was told by more than one htel keeper and bar owner that the high season had not started more than a week after the due date and there was plenty of rooms.

I was told on 3 occassions that "you foreigners have plenty of money." And also that prices w ere very high for some things and when queried was told this is Hua Hin.

[ray23]

Found the answer in Bloomberg today, your more then welcome to read the entire article but I can give yuo the short version they want you to drop one hundred dollars a meal peferably three times a day for two weeks. Where the locals can have an axcellent meal for ten dollars. Yep just like what I want to do.

Especially in a resturant where it takes 25 mins. and three tries to get a drink order straight yep that is a real call operation.

Phuket Offers More Than Sun, Sea and Kate Moss: Richard Vines

By Richard Vines

Jan. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Roadside blue-and-white signs pointing out the ``Tsunami Escape Route'' are the most striking reminders of the deadly wave that engulfed parts of Phuket two years ago.

Elsewhere, the Thai island combines the natural beauty I first witnessed almost a quarter of a century ago with a level of development that was unimaginable in 1983. Back then, my favorite dish was sweet-and-sour shark, in a hut on Nai Harn. That once- isolated beach is now home to Le Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club.

Kate Moss was staying on Phuket when I visited over the holidays. Our paths didn't cross, so I contented myself with exploring dining opportunities. Here are some good places to try.

Watermark occupies a great site in the Phuket Boat Lagoon, on the east coast. A breeze blows in across the water as you look out to the moored boats and sample cocktails such as a watermelon martini or a Moscow mule with fresh limes, ginger and mint.

Moet & Chandon champagne is 4,250 baht ($119), which dwarfs the amount you'll pay for food. The bar's happy hour, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. each day, is particularly popular.

The menu is eclectic, including Mediterranean dishes and options from around Asia as well as contemporary Thai cuisine. The cooking is as good as any I tasted on Phuket, where the abundance of fresh fish means you can eat well even in tourist hangouts.

The highlight of the meal was a generous serving of Ahi tuna on a tower of avocado, pumpkin and papaya with a wasabi lime vinaigrette. The fish was barely seared, its freshness and flavor complemented by the fruity accompaniment and the citrus dressing. It was a lovely dish for a warm day.

500 Bottles

Other options included a starter of tasty blue crab cakes, with pomelo, apple & cucumber salad in a red-curry dressing; black crabs cracked and wok-fried with black pepper; and grilled three- peppercorn pork noisettes served with apple-cinnamon mashed potato and buttered cabbage. Desserts include mango with sticky rice.

Lunch for two, excluding drinks, was about 2,500 baht, or $70. While expensive for Thailand, that's a bargain for high- quality ingredients prepared with such assurance and imagination.

Mom Tri's Boathouse is another venue with a great location, on a terrace overlooking Kata beach, on the southwest coast.

The restaurant's main claim to fame is its wine list -- offering more than 500 options -- which in 2006 earned Wine Spectator's top award in Thailand. Almost 30 wines are available by the glass and Gosset champagne is 4,200 baht a bottle. Service is charming and efficient, with orders promptly taken and glasses efficiently refilled. It's a beautiful place for a lengthy meal.

Usual Suspects

Unfortunately, the menu -- offering Thai and Western options -- is too long and unfocused. Some dishes were good, for example the gazpacho was nicely seasoned. Others, including something as simple as a child's spaghetti with tomato sauce, appeared to have been reheated. Rock lobster fettuccine (380 baht) was unenticing.

For all its length, the menu is unadventurous, featuring Asian favorites such as phad thai and nasi goreng, Western dishes such as lamb chops and steak and the usual desserts of apple pie, creme brulee and tiramisu. The food isn't bad. It's just not a match for the ambience or the wine list.

Even so, I'd be delighted to return. The Boathouse is charming and welcomes families. Lunch for three adults and a child, excluding drinks, came to about 3,650 baht.

It's a world away from Bangkok, where bombings on New Year's Eve added a note of menace to the everyday frenzy. The capital is 80 minutes away by air, and there are also direct flights to London and other European destinations.

Rockfish Restaurant and Bar is in a converted house on Phuket's Kamala beachfront. It's very cool, both in terms of style (ethnic-funky decor, good-looking staff) and the breeze that blows in off the Andaman Sea. There's a good cocktail list. I passed on a Lady Boy and enjoyed the Red Light District (vodka, fresh apple and watermelon martini.)

Tasty Tuptim

The Asian fusion menu is inventive and the preparation and presentation would be a match for the kind of thing you might find in London, where I do most of my dining. A starter of seared white prawn and avocado tart with spicy tomato relish, basil pesto and watercress served with a balsamic dressing looked great on a white triangular plate. The flavors were well balanced.

Mains included steamed whole tuptim -- a freshwater fish -- with garlic, ginger and chili served with wok-fried vegetables and jasmine rice. The meaty fish almost fell off the bone and was delicious. Grain-fed South Australian beef tenderloin came with a good bearnaise sauce. Grilled duck breast in red curry was served with red grapes and pineapple and rice.

With starters at 300 baht and mains at 600, Rockfish is reasonably priced and well worth a visit, though there were shortcomings on the night I dined there. The staff appeared untrained and it took 25 minutes and repeated requests to get our first drinks, one of the great crimes of restaurant service.

Also, I can't understand for whose benefit house music was playing loudly all night, though the staff seemed to be enjoying it. Rockfish stages parties every Sunday featuring ``deep, sexy, funky house beats.''

[simon43]

My comment about Germans in Phuket was not racist. It was simply stating what I see on the streets here. I didn't say anything derogatory about them, nor did I blame them for any of Phuket's woes. I was simply doing a comparison between Phuket and Majorca - 'they are both full of Germans!'

Simon

[Filer]

Bitch, bitch, bitch!

I love Phuket, I've lived there just over 20 years, and if I wanted things to be the same as "back home" I'd go back there. As far as I'm concerned, for every step backward, they've made 2 steps forward.

I'm not rich, not a "quality" tourist, but I still feel welcome. The changes we're seeing? Well, money talks ....

Thanks for saying what a lot of the rest of us feel.

[Dupont]

I am sure that all the Thai owned Guesthouse that have sprung up over the back of Nanai Road will be delighted that the TAT is turning away their guests.

<deleted> about rich tourists. Most of em just want to lay round the pool all day or on the beach spending nothing. Most of their deposits never reach Thai shores and they are generally the tightest fisted of the lot. "I didn't get rich by giving money away" type thinking.

I've worked with em for years in Europe and they are a (generally) a miserable faced bunch who complain about everything and tip very infrequently.

They also want excusivity, being rich means being able to go somewhere that poor people cant or don't go... Monaco, Cote. D'Azure, Carribearn etc.

You would have to empty Phuket FIRST, show them its empty and then hope they will come. That would mean a season with nobody here. If they were coming, they would be here by now.

Total crackpot scheme unless you are going to level everything in Patong past Rat-U-Thit Road.

The logic is incredible. 12 million this year!!! Attract higher quality tourists next year by trying to attract 14 million tourists!! The Phuket Gazette and the Nation should really be getting into these idiots and showing them up for what they are.

Edited January 11, 2007 by Dupont

[Dupont]

The local paper here - Phuket Post - has run a story last week questioning the TAT figures of 4.7 m visitors last year. According to Airport Authority of Thailand there were 2.3 m arrivals through Phuket. If you add the number of departures it comes to around the 4.7 m the TAT are claiming.

If the AOT figures are correct this means 2.4m people arrived by sea or by bus - about 180 buses per day, all full.

And check out the maths on the rooms - does not add up or there are some very crowded rooms.

Strikes me as another unthought out scare story at a time that the Island does not need one.

Another factor to consider.. I visa run to Sing or wherever each 90 days.. Does that make me 4x arrivals ?? Those 30 day stampers on the Ranong busses.. Do all 30 or so of them come 12 times per year ??

Yes they do count as 13 a year as its every 4 weeks not once a month. Transfers to other provinces count as well. Get off the plane and go to Phangna or Khao Lak.

The French do the same. When a bus full of tourists goes to Spain, they are counted in on the way there and again on the way back to England. Same as anybody driving through the channel tunnel then going to Belgium or on to Italy etc.

[nikster]

Just another example of how Thailand does not want the "average" westerner here. They want the quality tourist, the rich tourist. And they sure don't want average westerners living here. Once all of the dust settles, the average westerner won't want to be here. I think that they will continue to make things difficult for those of us who want to be here.

Don't take it personal. Big money in phuket wants the avg. joe's package tourists to provide the base and the millionaires for whom they built all those villas for. They don't want the backpackers or anyone else staying longer than 2 weeks, which probably includes you.

I can understand it, it's the way to maximize profits. the package tourists spend the other 50 weeks working to make all that money that they can then set on fire in the two weeks they are here. that's the tourist i would want if i was running a resort.

I lived in Salzburg/Austria for a while (my dad's from there) and what Salzburg loves most are the Japanese. They come in hordes, they spend like there's no tomorrow, and they leave after a week to make room for the next batch of ready-to-spend japanese. That's why a coffee in Salzburg city is 10 EUR.

It's the perfect tourist and Thailand wants those people too.

[Dupont]

How about "you get the tourists you deserve"?

Who else but backpackers and low end tourists would put up with the infrastructure, crime, corruption, filth, mangy dogs, broken pavements, non-existent busses, rip off taxis, rip off tours that end in shell museums or the crisp factory on Chao Fah Road.

Big breath!! The dangerous driving, Police siding with locals whether right or wrong, Patong hill in the rain, Ladyboys on Karon Beach Road, touts, beggars, food poisoning, raw sewerage, overcrowding on public transport, beach front mafia taking all the car parking, tailors, watershortages, dangerous (lethal) electrics, exploding gas cylinders, etc. etc.

I love every last bit of it and wouldn't change a thing BTW!! but until its ALL, every last item of it!!! cleared up, please forget about the rich. The real rich, the ones with big money and class and yachts and beautiful girlfriends (ie, not looking for love or sex), not the ones that are rich compared to the local thais!

I had two Estonians last week haggling hard for a bike wanting to pay 70baht for 7 hours!! Is this the next un-tapped market?

Edited January 11, 2007 by Dupont

[moskito]

My comment about Germans in Phuket was not racist. It was simply stating what I see on the streets here. I didn't say anything derogatory about them, nor did I blame them for any of Phuket's woes. I was simply doing a comparison between Phuket and Majorca - 'they are both full of Germans!'

Simon

OH YES Mr. Simon....like they are with ppl from England, Sweden and Netherlands TOO. I am german and I feel offended by speaches like these....

regards,

the ugly german

...wich NEVER say EVERY English is a hooligan or EVERY Swedish an Alcoholic.

( bye the way, I am just 45, so I have absolutely nothing to do with the war more than 60 years ago...I hope u can say the same about yourself...and the wars going on in this moment worldwide.

[pepsi666]

OH YES Mr. Simon....like they are with ppl from England, Sweden and Netherlands TOO. I am german and I feel offended by speaches like these....

regards,

the ugly german

...wich NEVER say EVERY English is a hooligan or EVERY Swedish an Alcoholic.

( bye the way, I am just 45, so I have absolutely nothing to do with the war more than 60 years ago...I hope u can say the same about yourself...and the wars going on in this moment worldwide.

I have fought along side Germans, Swedes, Poles,Thais, Scots, Americans

I dont have any problem with any race, creed or colour AND in Thailand they are probably the same as me,(the Germans, Swedes, Poles, Yanks, Canadians) they want a holiday in the sun, with or without wives, married or single, some go for the sex, some go for the hospitality offered by the locals (but as I have said, it dont happen in Phuket)

Phuket was actually visited by back packers WELL before the sex tourists, and they were happy with what they called the REAL Thailand, I doubt if those first backpackers would even recognise this NEW Thailand, the locals (on Phuket) have become, mean, grasping, miserable faced wretches

The majority of back packers are of the 'save the planet and tree hugger' type and as the majority of tourists are there for a month tops, they dont leave building rubble and all the debris that is lying about, maybe the

Thai's want to accept some of the blame themselves rather than blame the people who they regard as cash cows for the rubbish around

I look at it this way, when I invite someone to my home, I make sure it is clean, tidy and pleasant to visit, I expect Thailand to be the same, clean , tidy and pleasant to vist and that is what I get when I visited Thailand BUT certainly not in Phuket, so this is one tourist who wont be going back there (but I am streching it a bit when I say clean and tidy, but I can accept broken pavements, dirt tracks, the mangy dogs, the beggers, the tuk tuk and taxi mafia, )

AND whenever I get good service, I ALWAYS tip, no matter WHAT country I visit, so dont class me as a tight arse

AND on a closing note, I vist Germany about 4-5 times a year and EVEN though I am English I have never had any problems or been regard as a thug or hooligan, and the whole place is REALLY clean and the buses and trains run on time, only time I have any problem is from the 'gast arbiter' AND I was never in the war (well not the last big one they had and the people now are not guilty for their fathers or grandfathers sins )

I'll be back in Thailand in March, and I'll be bringing the wife and I'll be on the beach and I'll be using the beach sellers and the Thai resturants in the evening and the Thai bars as well, I'll be putting money into the Thai economy, now invest it in tidying the place up at least

Edited January 11, 2007 by pepsi666

[Choscura]

solution: don't allow refugees (backpacker tourists) into thailand.

problem solved: cuts out virtually no income in the tourism or any other department, since usually these guys want to pretend they're 'just like the locals' without taking the time most of us who live here do to learn the culture, language, history, and other little things that most of us on the board have learned enough to at least get by on. acting like a local is something that must go hand in hand with BEING a local.

on second thought, there should be a ten-drink minimum, or some equivelant thing that will a) force them to spend money, inebriate them, and c) open up the possibilty that they will lose more money. maybe give the burmese/tribal flower sellers the keys to hotel rooms so they can wake you up at 3 AM and demand money for a bunch of week-old wilted roses. politely, of course.

Edited January 11, 2007 by Choscura

[lapamita]

But . . . I agree totally about the plastic rubbish. It is very rarely tourists who deposit this on the beaches. It's a combination of rubbish that is washed up on the beach and rubbish thrown away by Thais. Perhaps if the tourism minister wants more quality tourists, they should educate the local population about caring a little more for the environment around them.

Simon

I fully agree with you, Simon43 !

Rubbish.....

it's all over Thailand but how can anybody expect the Thai to behave and clean up their own mess if there's nobody who ever teach(ed) them to do so...?

their parents, grandparents, schools -teachers-, bosses, GOVERNMENT !!!...nobody ever teached or controlled them !

It has to come from within the people themselves, guided and teached by their own Government.

LaoPo

i am living on a beachresort with more than 90% thaivisitore,,,their is plasticrubish all over, mostly from fihermans,thais who make barbecue and dont clean after,and even around every thaihouse,,,,, they build new streets here, even streets was in good condition, but never taking care of rubish.

the hotels here stay at around 20% ccupationrate, foreigners avoid here, due to rubish and a lack of froeign buissenes like restaurants( or who want eat everyday friedrice???)

phuket hotels havee no high occupationrate and hotels need even more incomming,,the main problem are inviromentalstandards,and investing in infrastrukture mostly in enviromental,

everywhere the same problem....................

[laidback]

People who are questioning the number of tourists might want to consider that Thai people who go to Phuket from other areas of Thailand are also tourists. And the place is quite popular with a lot of Thais.

[Sturbuc]

Well, if "high-end" means to spend more than THB 2000 per night for accomodation in a less than midclass hotel, beeing charged for parking the motobike while shopping, paying more than 200% for the same food; then good bye Thailand.

Been to Phuket (Patong, Phuket town) last year but quit after 3 days and went on to Samui. Not better, but better value.

[moskito]

I find it very, very poor if someone have to teach people not to stay in their own garbage. Sure better the Government start educating them about cleaning BUT it shows one more time how less Thaipeople care about anything except INCOME. Important is one have a golden gate in front, doesn t matter how many garbage there is behind it.

Ok 40 years ago in Europe it was same with all the free plastic bags at shopping centers, now u have to pay for every single bag. It helped a lot. Do the same thing here in Thailand and u have 30 000 ppl walking down the streets of Bkk demonstrating :D

I will never understand why Thaipeople like stinky garbage in front of their houses and behind and on sides too, why they throw bottles or anything else out of the window while driving or NEVER go down to pick something up

Edited January 12, 2007 by moskito

[simon43]

Jeez, chill out Moskito!! I was just making a statement. You are reading much too much into my light-hearted comments.

By the way, you mentioned the war, not me

Simon

[Songpong]

Well, I was there 23-26 Dec. Went through lots of stress trying to book on line.. ya at the last minute. Booking agents are scammers just as I suspected. Namely Agoda is the worst. They charged my credit card one full day (threatened to charge for the full period) just to tell me if there was a vacancy or not, and whether or not I still wanted the reservation by the time they responded. Very misleading wording on their website, such as calling it a booking request, and stating that they would be confirming with me after they confirmed availability - Flat out lie! I'm going to war! I booked another room at Nai Yang resort. Only to discover that the picture (which i see after the fact is a computer simulation) is quite deceptive, and there is hardly anything worth going to Nai Yang Beach for. The only nice place there is the resort it's self, and that is a bad value for money. Miles from anywhere, and traffic can be a real problem even if you do get a taxi out of there.

Went to Koh Phi Phi and stayed for a day. My advice is never try to stay overnight on Koh Phi Phi. Accommodation is a very poor and very expensive. Lot of deceptive tactics and lies there too. I see that there are some snorkeling day trips that are probably a good value though.

Back to Karen Beach the next day, and that was Beautiful. No booking, just talked to the cab driver on the way from the docks and he called a friend who found a room for us at a real nice hotel for a good price, 5 min. walk off the beach. He took us strait too there, no looking around at all. It was great! Gave that driver a good tip and called him later to drive us to the lookout and then back to the airport.

Don't think I'll ever try booking online again, I never have in the past either, but if you have direct contact info for the place you want to stay and book directly then that is great. Otherwise usually no real problems finding a room, but I'll definitely try to avoid this time of year in the future.

It seems to me that this is more posturing in order to push for measures that will discourage budget tourists, and possibly encourage the spending of government money to further develop the reagon. Can't blame them for that actually, but there must be more effort to see that competent services are offered without scams.

[Dupont]

I agree that there should be less "low class" tourists for Phuket so that those of us who live here don't have to watch them half naked and constantly pissed driving around with no helmets. Seriously though you cannot judge Phuket on what you see in Patong/Karon etc. It is a very large island and has still alot of beauty if you know where to look.

Agree 100%. There are far too many 'low life' tourists spoiling what was once a very beautiful, and relaxing island to visit. (it still is in some areas..) These are the 'wrong' type of tourists, no matter how much they spend while they're there. How to segregate the good tourists from the bad, is a difficult question though...? I have been regularly visiting the island for many years, and will shortly be moving there. As far as I'm concerned, reduce the numbers, and try to atttract a better, more family-oriented type of tourist/traveller. Putting the hotel prices up might not help. Closing down, or limiting the hours of business, of the 'seedier' type of bars, would almost certainly help though. Imposing restrictions on the types of entertainment available for these people might also help..? If it's no longer an attractive place, for them to come, maybe they'll start going back to places like Pattaya and Benidorm again. By the way, I liked your explanation about the 'Doobie' brothers very much, one of my favourite bands from a 'golden' era..! PB.

Your sounding like an elitist old bore there my friend!

With Phuket being 48.7 kilometers long, why is Soi Bangla the busiest soi on the Island, if not in the whole of the south of Thailand? People want to be there and its growing and growing and the rents are rising and rising because of this.

The whole entertainment area has got to be less than 100meters wide. This gives all the whingers and Patong knockers (oooer!) 48.6 killometers of space on the West Coast alone to be pompous, self righteous, hand wringing old buffers.

People know what Patong is about and if they want nice beaches, they go to Karon, Kata Surin, etc etc.

I've never understood people who go and live someplace, then expect all the locals, the tourists and the expat community to forsake their incomes or holiday enjoyment to please them. How often would you visit Bangla if it wasn't all bars? At your age would you be walking up there at 3 in the morning anyway? whatever the situation there was. "Amazing" is what some of you bores are.

Let me be clear. I, and thousands like me love the feel of a big city with life going on all round. We choose to live there and pay 3 or 4 times the price of living in a quiet area. We have many repeat customers also. Many of us in the west grew up in small towns and villages and absolutely hated the isolation.

That guy Eric from Pattaya who complains daily in the papers yet persists in living in the sex capital of the world!!

How about live and let live for a change. You don't hear people compaining about the lack of bars and ladyboys on Laem Singh beach do you? I'd die if I had to lie on a beach and read a book, but thats me ok!

Dear Sir

Why oh why is it that I cannot get the Authorites to recognise the benefits of having 200 beer bars on Kalim Beach. It is a great inconvenience for me and 3 other people at least, to have to drive the 2 kilometers into Patong every night to have a beer.

Yours

Mr Jay Dee Dexpat.

Edited January 12, 2007 by Dupont