Can a radical proposal save Phuket’s tourism crisis?

[spidermike007]

16 hours ago, xylophone said:

 

Yes, a lack of planning, money siphoned off for this very purpose goes into other "pockets" and the powers that be hope that the tourists keep coming, but as these two posts have pointed out, things are getting pretty dire in Phuket.

 

Just a couple of hours ago I was making my way back by car, from Bangkok Phuket hospital to Patong and the traffic on the hill from the Kathu traffic lights up to the shrine and just beyond, was stopped nose to tail, so obviously I thought there had been an accident, as often happens in this dreadful piece of road.....but no, it was because there had been a really heavy downpour, where the heavens opened up, for about an hour previous to my journey, and the road being slippery, combined with the lack of driving ability of the everyday Thai, saw quite a few trucks and vans on that hill spinning their wheels in an effort to move, but to no avail.

 

I didn't realise that this was the case until a Fortuna a couple of cars ahead of me was skewing a little sideways in an effort to get some traction, so everything behind him stopped and a good 50% of the trucks and vans started to do the same thing, and as no one would let anyone else in to the other lane to get away from these potential disasters, everything came to a standstill – – and this was the reason for the nose to tail traffic!!

 

As most will know, half of this road on the hill slid away a few months back, and there was talk then, as there has been for many years previous, of building a tunnel, or of finding another route out of Patong in order to bypass this hill. However nothing has become of this although the problems with this piece of road have been known for a couple of decades previously.

 

Add this to that which @ChipButty has mentioned, and no matter what has been done to improve the roads here, it has inevitably ended up being a disaster and causing more problems than it tried to solve.

 

So the solution of the people in power has been to open up the likes of Patong/Phuket to more tourists with visa free entry, or ease of extended stay, or whatever else you want to call it, whilst the whole place has turned into a nightmare.
 

It does indeed sound like a nightmare, the bottom line is choosing quantity over quality is never a good idea unless you're selling $2 items at a swap meet. Thailand has completely lost sight of the game and their policies are the exact opposite of what one would describe his visionary and wise. 

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

It does indeed sound like a nightmare, the bottom line is choosing quantity over quality is never a good idea unless you're selling $2 items at a swap meet. Thailand has completely lost sight of the game and their policies are the exact opposite of what one would describe his visionary and wise. 

Agree with your comments SM007, and early on in the piece here, I thought it was a good place to be, what with plenty of nightlife and entertainment, roads free of traffic, although they weren't always in a good state of repair I have to admit, and drainage problems that seemed to be fixed, until they weren't, but overall, good and livable.

 

If I hadn't put down roots here in Patong, with quite a few friends, a few acquaintances, and my daughter now staying close by, then I would seriously think about moving, but to where, I'm not sure, because a lot of Phuket is suffering the same malaise, and as others have said, it's only going to get worse – – so my choice is to see out my remaining years here and put up with it, or move elsewhere which would be a major pain in the proverbial; between a rock and a hard place, as the saying goes!

[spidermike007]

35 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Agree with your comments SM007, and early on in the piece here, I thought it was a good place to be, what with plenty of nightlife and entertainment, roads free of traffic, although they weren't always in a good state of repair I have to admit, and drainage problems that seemed to be fixed, until they weren't, but overall, good and livable.

 

If I hadn't put down roots here in Patong, with quite a few friends, a few acquaintances, and my daughter now staying close by, then I would seriously think about moving, but to where, I'm not sure, because a lot of Phuket is suffering the same malaise, and as others have said, it's only going to get worse – – so my choice is to see out my remaining years here and put up with it, or move elsewhere which would be a major pain in the proverbial; between a rock and a hard place, as the saying goes!

Well from what I've seen there are some spots north of where you are that are quite beautiful, have the advantage of being on the Andaman, and have very little congestion. Granted you would not have access to some of the conveniences that you haven't in Patong, but the few times I've been there it's hard for me to wrap my mind around wanting to live in that town. It's just so congested and so chock full of low class tourists, frankly I don't see the appeal. But different strokes, right? 

[LivinginKata]

5 hours ago, xylophone said:

Agree with your comments SM007, and early on in the piece here, I thought it was a good place to be, what with plenty of nightlife and entertainment, roads free of traffic, although they weren't always in a good state of repair I have to admit, and drainage problems that seemed to be fixed, until they weren't, but overall, good and livable.

 

If I hadn't put down roots here in Patong, with quite a few friends, a few acquaintances, and my daughter now staying close by, then I would seriously think about moving, but to where, I'm not sure, because a lot of Phuket is suffering the same malaise, and as others have said, it's only going to get worse – – so my choice is to see out my remaining years here and put up with it, or move elsewhere which would be a major pain in the proverbial; between a rock and a hard place, as the saying goes!

 

We moved to Kata 17 years ago. Back then Patong on a steep decline with too much traffic, too many poor quality tourist, taxi mafia, etc. Perfect for the party animals. While the through traffic along Patak road is a nightmare, and there has been over building, Kata never has gone fully into the nightlife scene.  

[paul1804]

On 4/19/2024 at 3:00 PM, spidermike007 said:

Phuket is a disaster, it is horrific at this point in time. I was just there several months ago and I couldn't wait to leave. If they keep going with the development Phuket's going to be another Bali within the next 10 years. Bali has become like Midtown Manhattan at rush hour, the whole Southeast third of the island is an absolute abomination. 

Nusa Dua in the south was still quite liveable when I was last there in 2018, I couldn't say the same for Kuta and its neighbouring suburbs!

[chercheur888]

Well, other tourism hotspots going for a more sustainable solution as one can read in many European newspapers.

"Tens of thousands protest against Canary Islands’ ‘unsustainable’ tourism model

Organisers say 50,000 turn out to call for limit on tourist numbers, saying model makes life unaffordable and puts strain on resources"

But as some respected professionals suggested in recent articles, Phuket should be on the same level as Miami, Dubai, Austin and Kuching.🤔

[brianthainess]

On 4/19/2024 at 8:58 AM, webfact said:

In a bid for autonomy,

I thought it had already been annexed.  

[brianthainess]

On 4/19/2024 at 8:58 AM, webfact said:

a special administrative organisation to save it from a tourism crisis.

The crisis is to many Tourists, are the Russians with a 3 month visa and no need to show funds still classed as tourists ?