Phuket's Tourism Boom Outstrips Infrastructure, Raises Environmental Concerns

[snoop1130]

 

The rapid increase in tourism on the previously unspoiled island of Phuket is causing issues as infrastructure developments struggle to keep up. Road congestion and environmental damage are harming the island's image as a top-rated holiday destination.

 

Traffic problems on Phuket's main highway, Thepkrasattri Road, are causing major frustration for locals and tourists alike. Other issues, such as lack of water during the dry season and severe flooding in the wet season, are contributing to the growing discontent.

 

Phuket Community Network adviser, Adisak Akkasinthawangkul, shared his concerns, saying, “Going to Phuket nowadays means dealing with floods, drought, and traffic jams. Who would want to come?" "Traveling anywhere takes two to three hours. As residents, we need a better public transport system to cope with the number of new apartment buildings and other similar projects.”

 

Suksit Suvarnditkul, the president of the Southern Thailand Hotel Association, supports these worries and underlines the pressing need for better infrastructure. He said, "The main issues in Phuket are road and land transportation. To prepare for more tourists in the future, we need to start projects like expressways, improve our port facilities for cruise ships, and speed up progress on a new airport to cope with the expected growth in passenger numbers.”

 

Despite the continuous growth in tourism, questions remain about whether it is well-directed. Compared to Singapore, which has a similarly sized landmass, there is a distinct difference in city planning. Singapore's "City in a Garden" approach has created a comfortable environment with vast green spaces and a tree density of 29.3%. In contrast, Phuket has seen significant deforestation for new building projects.

 

The most apparent issue is the depletion of Phuket's national parks, which have shrunk from 107,578 rai (around 43,000 acres) in 2010 to just 70,014 rai (around 28,000 acres) in 2023. Poor urban planning is leading to increased development in waterways, causing a range of problems.

 

Thai real estate consultant, Pattanun Phisutvimol, said, "Phuket's zoning laws haven't changed in nearly 10 years. A clear plan for the future is necessary. They keep growing, then adjust later. That's why it's chaotic. In developed places like Singapore, they plan how they want the city to develop and set out a master plan."

 

Essential to solving these issues is creating and implementing a clear strategy to keep up with tourism growth. This strategy should accelerate the development of planned transport systems, including water, land, and air. It's also a matter of improving city planning in line with these strategies. Implementing these changes would help resolve current issues while also providing the much-needed stability for Phuket's booming tourism industry.

 

File photo for reference only

 

-- 2024-08-13

 

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[Will B Good]

2 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

.....the previously unspoiled island of Phuket

 

 

How far back are they going for that statement?

 

 

[hotchilli]

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The rapid increase in tourism on the previously unspoiled island of Phuket is causing issues as infrastructure developments struggle to keep up. Road congestion and environmental damage are harming the island's image as a top-rated holiday destination.

Sustainability is not something Thailand does well, more like saturation.

[hotchilli]

11 hours ago, Will B Good said:

 

 

How far back are they going for that statement?

 

 

At least pre-2000's

[nobodysfriend]

TAT wants 80million tourists coming to Thailand .

A nightmare that nobody is prepared for .

I have been to many countries , but never saw one so completely decoupled from reality .

[ikke1959]

It is the result  of  no investments in several decades to improve the infrastructure and for tourists..  The greed for the money has ruined it.. n ot only in Phuket but all over Thailand

[sikishrory]

Cool story.

In other news:

Thailand wants more tourists. More and more and more. Never enough.

Thailand now has some of the laxest visas in the world.

[shackleton]

The people of Phuket money 💰 🤑 comes first 

They could not care about the environment let others worry about it 😱

The people only think  about the now 💰 not the future 🤔

[Can samui]

Haha...try Samui! 

Garbage incinerator broken since it was installed 15 years ago, no water...and I mean no water! Rampant building everywhere with no thought to how all these new high end villas will affect the overtaxed infrastructure.

It is a gong show here right now.

[ronster]

Quick build that bridge to samui to ease these tourist numbers on Phuket !

Oh wait samui is already a mess when busy even a little bit 🙈

[Gandtee]

19 hours ago, Will B Good said:

 

 

How far back are they going for that statement?

 

 

Thirty years.

[BritScot]

5 hours ago, sikishrory said:

Cool story.

In other news:

Thailand wants more tourists. More and more and more. Never enough.

Thailand now has some of the laxest visas in the world.

Ask the expats that question! 90 day reporting, annual application with reams of photo copying information that they already have then sprinkle ever changing rules with a few days/weeks notice.... yep it's anything close to easy oh and let's not forget the 400,000/800,000 baht sitting in a Thai bank which has been known to leak!!! My Thai wife in the UK has nothing like that to go through and can work any job she likes.

[khunPer]

Sorry to say it, but Uncle Tu was on the right track talking about "quality tourists" instead of mass tourism...

[Will B Good]

1 hour ago, Gandtee said:

Thirty years.

 

 

My first visit.....oh dear....where has the time gone?

[FritsSikkink]

20 hours ago, Will B Good said:

 

 

How far back are they going for that statement?

 

 

70's I guess

 

Edited August 14 by FritsSikkink

[nakhonandy]

My first trip to Phuket was in the late 80s, it was OK then.

[Patong2021]

Too late. The patient who was terminal is now in hospice care.