Phuket Shunned By Travellers

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Phuket shunned by travellers

PHUKET: -- In poll results sure to shock many in Phuket, Thailand's Koh Lanta, Khao Lak, Koh Pha-Ngan and Koh Samui have won 4 out of 10 honors for the Top Ten beach destinations in Asia. Phuket did not rank among them.

The poll, conducted by TripAdvisor and titled 'Traveler's Choice Awards for 2010', closed yesterday.

The Thai beach resorts were ranked No. 3, 4, 5 and 6, respectively, on the list of "Top Ten Beach & Sun Destinations in Asia."

In other award categories voted on by TripAdvisor users, Thailand fared well but, again, Phuket was nowhere to be seen.

In the "Top Ten Culture & Sightseeing Destinations in Asia," the Thai cities of Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Ayutthaya all made the list.

In the trusted travel mega-site's "Top Ten Beach & Sun Destinations in the World," Thailand had no placers.

TripAdvisor attracts more than 32 million unique visitors per month.

The site currently covers 125 hotels in Phuket, and contains more than 26,500 comments and reviews by travellers to Phuket.

-- Phuket Gazette 2010-05-13

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[SomTumTiger]

Hmmm, maybe the prices are lower now. I smell a bargain! Or is that a dead fish?

[jackdawson]

u mean , someone still goes to patong ?

who knew ?

[AGareth2]

well past its sell by date

over rated and a ripoff

[Maverell]

Will anything change in service provision within Phuket as a result of this ? I doubt it !

[laurentbkk]

I think Phuket made the choice of mass market travelers , quality of water and beaches in general are really bad. Patong is the Pattaya if Phuket so what did they expect ? I stopped to go to Phuket long ago. Samui must be careful as it really started to be similar. I have been to Koh chang last year , the island is over constructed and traffic is becoming crazy specially with only one road. It used to be so nice 10 years ago .. Maybe that's what people want after all ,group of cheap tourists , who knows !

[Meridian007]

To the minority who have tried to make competitive and useful businesses there, my condolences.

To the price gougers who felt they could take advantage of the tourists that came there with impunity, som nam na.

Maybe this is the kick in the head that Phuket needs to reform its business practices. The mentality of "we can treat our customers like crap and overprice everything, because there will always be a new load of suckers" has finally started to bite them on the ass.

I just feel badly for those who tried to run an honest business there, they are suffering the fallout from their greedier neighbors.

Edited May 13, 2010 by Meridian007

[womble]

To the minority who have tried to make competitive and useful businesses there, my condolences.

To the price gougers who felt they could take advantage of the tourists that came there with impunity, som nam na.

Maybe this is the kick in the head that Phuket needs to reform its business practices. The mentality of "we can treat our customers like shit and overprice everything, because there will always be a new load of suckers" has finally started to bite them on the ass.

I just feel badly for those who tried to run an honest business there, they are suffering the fallout from their greedier neighbors.

It's just a poll, not actual arrival figures.......

[ALFREDO]

Trip advisor is a good source.

But anyway, still, special in the high season to many tourists in Patong and other beach resorts.

To many tourists, cars, motobikes, Tuk,Tuks and not enough place on the road and not enough parking space.

So if the numbers should really dwindle, good. For me as a customer the numbers of tourist after the Tsunami in January-March would be fitting well!

Who wants to have a good night out and not likes to sleep than alone can also go to Pattaya and Bangkok, for less money, no need for Patong.

Who wants nice beaches (Patongs water changed some years ago to the bad kind) can go to Kaoh Lak, Koh Lanta, Krabis beaches and more south and southeast.

So Phuket-Patong is not a must and the time it was heaven is long gone!

I like for a good quiet time, without even the possibility of a shopping spree-Sihanoukville in Cambodia!

A completely different world-but how long more, until the airport opens?

Edited May 13, 2010 by ALFREDO

[Gerryasia]

Phuket is just another symptom of the disease that is affecting Thailand so adversely now.

Overbuilding, greed and lack of concern over the long-term effects of the actions of a culture that truly "lives only in the moment".

I have seen/lived/experienced it all, wherever I have lived in central/south Thailand, for the last 5 years.

The islands are becoming unlivable, only good for maybe a short vacation...and even at that, plan to spend alot more money than just a few years ago.

But who wants to fly for 8 to 20 hrs to go somewhere that is becoming just like anywhere else?

As far as expats go, who wants to LIVE in a country that is on a slippery slope BACK into "bananamockracy".

Thailand has nice weather(if you like steamy), beautiful, inexpensive sex, clear, warm water(on a good day) many nice beaches and that is it.

When that is gone, Thailand will be the Philippines again like it was just a couple of decades ago.

A chaotic, passionate experiment in SE Asian human nature.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Hmmm.. the results of a poll on a website frequented primarly by Western tourists (and then North American ones in particular) is not the same as being actually 'shunned by travellers' or not. Actual numbers would give a better indication.

I think Phuket has great beaches, and world class hotels and resorts. Admittedly not Patong, but Phuket is a big place. Also Phuket Town is a really nice town, perhaps one of Thailand's nicest.

Sure, Patong is a bit of a pit, and if you don't have or rent wheels then the taxi mafia will feast on your bones.. But with some research & preparation those aren't issues.

Another good development is affordable direct flights from Chiang Mai to Phuket on Air Asia. That makes it very convenient for tourists to visit both places. (Thai Airways always had this, but expensive, and only from Chiang Mai to Phuket, not the other way around.)

[LuckyLew]

Well, I was in Patong this past weekend and I can say that Patong is pretty much finished.

From the moment I arrived and collected my bags I was harrassed non stop by taxi/tuk tuks and their

over inflated prices.

Once in Pating i noticed it was very slow, my hotel (IBIS) was half empty, the pool side was empty, the buffet breakfast room was never near capacity.

A walk thru Jongceylon (sp?) mall was a breeze as it was mostly empty stores, the restaurants were void of customers, even the check outs at the Carrefour were empty

Bangla road in the evening is just as bare, half the sois off Bangla are closed, just empty stalls that used to be beer bars.

So long Patong, may you rest in peace

[pontius]

I loathe Phuket, its tuktuks, ripoffs, Thais that are as Thai as any German, the whole thing.

[rogerdee123]

I agree ... Phuket has been ruined. Samui is close, perhaps a few more years, behind and is destined to suffer the same fate..

Phuket is just another symptom of the disease that is affecting Thailand so adversely now.

Overbuilding, greed and lack of concern over the long-term effects of the actions of a culture that truly "lives only in the moment".

I have seen/lived/experienced it all, wherever I have lived in central/south Thailand, for the last 5 years.

The islands are becoming unlivable, only good for maybe a short vacation...and even at that, plan to spend alot more money than just a few years ago.

But who wants to fly for 8 to 20 hrs to go somewhere that is becoming just like anywhere else?

As far as expats go, who wants to LIVE in a country that is on a slippery slope BACK into "bananamockracy".

Thailand has nice weather(if you like steamy), beautiful, inexpensive sex, clear, warm water(on a good day) many nice beaches and that is it.

When that is gone, Thailand will be the Philippines again like it was just a couple of decades ago.

A chaotic, passionate experiment in SE Asian human nature.

[gemini81]

To the minority who have tried to make competitive and useful businesses there, my condolences.

To the price gougers who felt they could take advantage of the tourists that came there with impunity, som nam na.

Maybe this is the kick in the head that Phuket needs to reform its business practices. The mentality of "we can treat our customers like crap and overprice everything, because there will always be a new load of suckers" has finally started to bite them on the ass.

I just feel badly for those who tried to run an honest business there, they are suffering the fallout from their greedier neighbors.

agree. the value of land and investments there is falling quickly too. get what they deserve for all the cheaters down there. the honest ones'll hopefully pull out now and/or relocate. could (and used to be) such a beautiful exotic place, but it doesn't have that vibe anymore.

[Thaihog]

Phuket has been in need of a reality check for a long time.....

Poor infrastructure, crippling traffic, tuk tuk mafia, crime, rip off prices..... European beaches are much cheaper due to the current exchange rates. As business gets worse, the Thais in their own imaginative wisdom put all the prices up further....

The other problem with Phuket is that there are few genuine Phuket residents, most of the people are workers from other provinces who come to Phuket thinking that the streets are paved with gold (due to gullible Farang).....

I lived in Phuket for 12 years before moving up to Chiang Mai 8 years ago. Phuket was great in the late 80's early 90's but I don't much care for the place now. I haven't been back for 3 years.

[mcatt66]

Not only the store owners but now the police..everywhere u look a policeman is writing a ticket to a farang or locking their bikes together for a parking violation..then they make the farang walk or pay for a tuk tuk to the police station to pay the fine..

But I do hate when people speak if Phuket as if it is only patong..Phuket is huge and there are still a couple of nice beaches to be found..

[bubblegum]

Phuket has been in need of a reality check for a long time.....

Poor infrastructure, crippling traffic, tuk tuk mafia, crime, rip off prices..... European beaches are much cheaper due to the current exchange rates. As business gets worse, the Thais in their own imaginative wisdom put all the prices up further....

The other problem with Phuket is that there are few genuine Phuket residents, most of the people are workers from other provinces who come to Phuket thinking that the streets are paved with gold (due to gullible Farang).....

I lived in Phuket for 12 years before moving up to Chiang Mai 8 years ago. Phuket was great in the late 80's early 90's but I don't much care for the place now. I haven't been back for 3 years.

You haven't been here for 3 years yet you comment ?

[sawadeeken]

Why go all the way to Phukhet when Pattaya is so accessable????????

[EyesWideOpen]

I used to live in Patong in the year 2000. It was ok back then. I did get a laugh out of the police. In the mornings and into the afternoon all the Thais did not wear a helmet. So all the farangs who were visiting and rented motorcycles thought helmets were not necessary, so did not wear them. Exactly at 4:00 all the Thais were suddenly wearing helmets, and a police checkpoint appeared near to Bangla road issuing endless tickets to all the farangs without helmets, including me... :-(

Back then apparently the tuk tuk mafia was still in its learning stage. Prices were reasonable, the only rip was to suddenly double prices when it started to rain, and all the wet farangs wanted to go home from Bangla.

Night life was good. You had in essence rich punters, so all the hot girls would come out of Bangkok to work in the bars. I went back to visit last year after being away for nine years. A tuk tuk wanted 300 baht to transport me 200 meters down beach road. The bars were either closed or had horrific girls working there. I ended up calling a girl I knew from Bangkok and flying her down to stay with me. When I left I vowed to never ever go back again.

As you sow, so shall you reap. The scammers and cheaters have in essence destroyed the place. Sadly I guess when it is finally dead, these same scammers will move onto a new place, leaving the carcass behind.

[IsaanAndy]

Ah, ha, the usual Thai syndrome, live for today and get it (money) while you can as tomorrow never comes!

[Jimi007]

Why go all the way to Phukhet when Pattaya is so accessable????????

Please don't come to Phuket! I love it here in low season. No traffic, few tourists. All my neighbors are Phuket natives, except for a German couple that have been here over 30 years. My little part of the island is still nice, not as nice as it was 5 years ago when I first moved here, but my rent is the same as it was then! I rarely go to Patong, just for Carrefore. But now we have Villa Market up in Chalong, so no need for Patong at all. I do feel sorry for some business owners though. I rarely eat out anymore...

[MrEarl]

Phuket is far from dead! Hate to break it to you nattering nabobs of negativity. Take your negativity and put it where the sun don't shine.

The Bangkok Air flight from Swampy was nearly full.

There are fewer people around and biz is slow but last time I checked this is low season.

Patong Beach is still one of the nicer beaches around. Water is clean, and the trash get picked up. There are lovely tree shaded walkways all along the beach.

Lot's of nice roped off areas to swim.

If you can ignore the tuk-tuk scum bags things aren't half bad.

Room prices are discounted all over and the food is pretty darn good if you shop around a bit.

It would be a mistake to count Phuket out. All the features that make it nice are still here and will likely remain until the next tsunami hits in a 150 years or so.

Edited May 13, 2010 by Lite Beer
Racial slurs edited out. Lite Beer.

[mickyboy]

Phuket has been in need of a reality check for a long time.....

Poor infrastructure, crippling traffic, tuk tuk mafia, crime, rip off prices..... European beaches are much cheaper due to the current exchange rates. As business gets worse, the Thais in their own imaginative wisdom put all the prices up further....

The other problem with Phuket is that there are few genuine Phuket residents, most of the people are workers from other provinces who come to Phuket thinking that the streets are paved with gold (due to gullible Farang).....

I lived in Phuket for 12 years before moving up to Chiang Mai 8 years ago. Phuket was great in the late 80's early 90's but I don't much care for the place now. I haven't been back for 3 years.

[JatujakShopper]

I think I'll continue to give it a miss.

Edited May 13, 2010 by JatujakShopper

[Bellskids]

I visited Phuket for a few days last summer for the first time since October 2005 and have to say I was incredibly dissapointed by the experience. All anyone seemed to care about was how to rip you off the fastest. Very annoying. I gotta say Ive had less hassle in Pattaya than I had on that trip which is a real shame as the week I spent in Phuket in 05 was easily one of the best experiences of my life. Very sad to see it go downhill so very fast. 0.02

[Bobr]

Phuket deserves what it gets. The officials down there act as if arresting, jailing or otherwise disciplining dishonest taxi operators and jet ski renters is a big deal. The same old scams get as tiresome as the impotent excuses for not stopping them.

What is so difficult about mandating meters in all taxis and arresting any driver caught not using one, or making a law which says that jet ski rentals much include a damage waiver and arresting any operator who tries to extort money from a tourist? The City officials cannot be that stupid so it must be blatant corruption.

Edited May 13, 2010 by Bobr

[moskito]

Like I said many times before, after Phuket is turned into a sh1tehole the tourists will move on to better places... and there are a lot in Asia.

Tourists don't like

overcrowded places,

demolished nature

tuk-tuk and jet-ski scams,

beach chairs like no one can see sand anymore

and no safety at all on the roads.

The current exchange rate does the rest.

But no problem here for me. I hope the island will become what it once was, without millions of tourists. If you made money on tourism and now don't, sorry but that's not the locals' fault!

If you are one of these guys who bought a Rai for a million, cut it in 4 pieces for 4 million each and sit now on your property...som nam na.

[mcatt66]

Like I said many times before, after Phuket is turned into a sh1tehole the tourists will move on to better places... and there are a lot in Asia.

Tourists don't like

overcrowded places,

demolished nature

tuk-tuk and jet-ski scams,

beach chairs like no one can see sand anymore

and no safety at all on the roads.

The current exchange rate does the rest.

But no problem here for me. I hope the island will become what it once was, without millions of tourists. If you made money on tourism and now don't, sorry but that's not the locals' fault!

If you are one of these guys who bought a Rai for a million, cut it in 4 pieces for 4 million each and sit now on your property...som nam na.

I still think alot of you are confusing Patong with Phuket. . There are some really nice beaches other than Patong in Phuket. . Patong is one of many beaches. in which none of the above are bad. . Koh Samui and Koh Phangan are getting just as bad as Patong. . ...so If your disliking Phuket based on patong its really your own fault .. Its like saying bangkok is all sex bars because u spent a week at Nana. . . . I was at Nai Harn Beach the other day and it was amazing.. not overcrowded at all..was not stopped by a single tout. .there are a ton of nice resturants and bars in the area..

[moskito]

Like I said many times before, after Phuket is turned into a sh1tehole the tourists will move on to better places... and there are a lot in Asia.

Tourists don't like

overcrowded places,

demolished nature

tuk-tuk and jet-ski scams,

beach chairs like no one can see sand anymore

and no safety at all on the roads.

The current exchange rate does the rest.

But no problem here for me. I hope the island will become what it once was, without millions of tourists. If you made money on tourism and now don't, sorry but that's not the locals' fault!

If you are one of these guys who bought a Rai for a million, cut it in 4 pieces for 4 million each and sit now on your property...som nam na.

I still think alot of you are confusing Patong with Phuket. . There are some really nice beaches other than Patong in Phuket. . Patong is one of many beaches. in which none of the above are bad. . Koh Samui and Koh Phangan are getting just as bad as Patong. . ...so If your disliking Phuket based on patong its really your own fault .. Its like saying bangkok is all sex bars because u spent a week at Nana. . . . I was at Nai Harn Beach the other day and it was amazing.. not overcrowded at all..was not stopped by a single tout. .there are a ton of nice resturants and bars in the area..

I dont mean to get personal here but I guess you are not here for a very long time. I was talking specially about the Nai Harn or Kata Karon Beach! Unfortunately I know these beaches since the 80s. Fifteen years ago about 20 chairs on the Nai Harn beach,

a single row at Kata or Karon beach, now at highseason its about 4 rows and one cant see the sand anymore.

Get real mate, I am living here since 12 years and know the corners where the island is still what it was once. Even Nai Harn becomes overcrowded in high season, plastered with too many restaurants, too many beauty salons, pharmacies, massage parlors, 7-11 and lady bars

The constantly bad headlines regarding daily death on Phuket roads are doing the rest.

Anyway, if you still like it, its up to u, there are people which like Cala Millor in Mallorca too.