A Senate committee has proposed that the government develop Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi as a single Asean economic, tourism and transport centre, instead of allowing the three provinces to progress separately. The proposal was announced on May 8 during a fact-finding visit by the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee to Phuket and Phang Nga.

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Senator Chavapon Watthanavekin, vice chairman of the committee, said the group’s visit had the aim to collect information and prepare recommendations for the Senate and government on how the three Andaman provinces can be jointly developed.

Chavapon said Phuket and Phang Nga have strong potential to attract quality investors and tourists if infrastructure and natural resources are managed systematically. He added that the provinces are key gateways to Thailand and Asean on the Andaman coast and that targeted investment could create multiplier effects for both the economy and local communities.

Senator Chib Chitniyom, the committee’s vice chairman, proposed raising tourism standards in the Andaman region to a world-class level. He pointed to helicopter and yacht tourism at Hainan Island in China as examples of attracting high-end visitors.

Chib also cited Vietnam as a successful tourism model. He highlighted Ha Long Bay for its internationally recognised boat tours and Ninh Binh province, known as “Inland Ha Long Bay”, where local boatmen row using their feet to create a distinctive tourist experience.

He added that tourism products in the Andaman provinces must be diverse, adaptable and competitive. Chib referenced Sapa in Vietnam, where cable cars connect mountain areas and provide access to terraced rice fields, Hmong communities and Fansipan, the highest peak in Indochina at 3,143 metres.

“Our Andaman Sea is equally beautiful, but the question is, do we dare to design experiences that will draw tourists to us?” Chib said. He added that Thailand must rethink premium tourism and create experiences that regional competitors cannot match.

The senator proposed combining Krabi, Phang Nga and Phuket into a single tourism cluster with coordinated resource management and unified marketing. He said the goal should be sustainable long-term development that benefits local residents rather than short-term growth focused only on visitor numbers.

Assoc. Prof. Lae Dilokwittayarat, another committee member, questioned whether the region’s education system can produce workers with the skills needed by the tourism industry. He said Thailand currently produces similar graduates nationwide without considering regional labour demands, creating shortages in tourist areas such as the Andaman provinces.

The ThaiNewsRoom reported that the committee said findings from the field trip will be compiled into policy recommendations for submission to the Senate and the government.

Pictures courtesy of TNR

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Thainewsroom 10 May 2026

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THailand could have done this already years ago. Now suddenly they want to start to copy the tourists attractions of Vietnam, as Vietnam is Thailand's biggest competitor at the moment.

I am just back from Vietnam and after more than 20 years living in Thailand, I can surely say that Thailand has to do much more to attrack tourists. The luxury hotels, much cheaper, the kindness of the people, cheaper restaurants with very good food, and a much nicer temperature, although Thailand can't help that. but also a lot of electric new taxis in Vietnam, you see there are investments, as Thailand only has its greed

1 hour ago, ikke1959 said:

and a much nicer temperature

What do you mean ?

Not much difference between Thailand and Vietnam.

1 hour ago, ikke1959 said:

THailand could have done this already years ago. Now suddenly they want to start to copy the tourists attractions of Vietnam, as Vietnam is Thailand's biggest competitor at the moment.

I am just back from Vietnam and after more than 20 years living in Thailand, I can surely say that Thailand has to do much more to attrack tourists. The luxury hotels, much cheaper, the kindness of the people, cheaper restaurants with very good food, and a much nicer temperature, although Thailand can't help that. but also a lot of electric new taxis in Vietnam, you see there are investments, as Thailand only has its greed

I was a frequent visitor to Viet Nam and Thailand in the 1970s (before and after the fall/liberation of then South Viet Nam) and the 1980s, and always felt that Thailand was more "advanced" than Viet Nam with respect to infrastructure and tourism. My last visit to Viet Nam 14 years ago suggested that in many areas Viet Nam had made rapid progress in both area, but still a little behind Thailand. However over the past few years, from what I have read and heard from friends in Viet Nam and those how have visited Viet Nam, is that in many areas Viet Nam has powered ahead of Thailand.

The Vietnamese government has been very willing to learn from foreign countries and to adapt its policies and programmes to meet the the needs of its population and the changing international situation. The Vietnamese government's post 2015 war on corruption, "blazing furnace" ("dot lo" in Vietnamese), has been very effective, with senior communist party, military, government officials, etc. being charged and punished (no executions as in China, yet).