Phuket tourism going down the pan just like Pattaya: Few tourists and much worse than last year

[hotchilli]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

For years the tourist market in Phuket saw sustained growth that promoted a building boom of hotels. But the increase - that saw tourism rise from 9 million visitors a year to 14 million within five years - has not been maintained. 

This is also part of the problem... the boom years came but the money didn't flow back into that area, it went into investors pockets. People came, people saw, people went home.. nothing new to see or do!

Same as Pattaya, huge revenue coming in but little else to do except walk along a polluted beach or do a tour of walking street.

The Chinese came, got the T-shirt & went home...(some in body bags) that didn't go down well.

Thailand thought they'd come back year after year after year.. for what, more of the same?

Look at Cambodia.. huge upturn in tourism with a better exchange rate... but Thailand knows best.
All the bars will start going broke, endless massage & karaoke joints will be empty, the girls are not going north to plant rice they are going to other Asian countries... 

The golden goose has stopped laying !

 

 

[balo]

1 hour ago, Duck J Butters said:

a) tourism is much higher than it was at this time last year. At least it is in Northern Phuket where they are targeting the wealthy family crowd. I was in Patong last weekend as well and it was busy as usual, same old same old 

Complete nonsense, you own property in Phuket and will defend the place as much as you can.  Face the reality , this is 2019, not 2010. 
 

[bbbbooboo]

Hmmm..... and the Thai govt and businesses are surprised at this outcome?... the blind leading the blind perhaps?

[nobodysfriend]

2 hours ago, Duck J Butters said:

I picked up a beachfront 19 rai plot for 4 million baht recently.

  

I simply do NOT believe this .

[nobodysfriend]

2 hours ago, Duck J Butters said:

I’ve never witnessed a single traffic accident in the years I’ve lived here in Phuket.

no comment , I stop reading BS

[The Preacher]

Blame the trade war!  That's the Thai way.  Never take responsibility.

 

The problem?  (1) The baht is too strong; (2) Too much enforcement against genuine tourists, i.e., the TM 30, etc.; (3) The stringent smoking ban (I don't smoke, but many tourists do, and now they cannot even smoke at an outdoor cafe!); (4) Corruption -- especially with the police and immigration; (5) Etc.

 

You might say that all this is nothing new.  True, but what is new is that there has been more "enforcement" of late and Social Media continues to develop and has become all pervasive.  What was invisible to an outsider before is now as plain as day to everybody everywhere.  Thailand can no longer control the narrative the way it once did (Remember when the Thai government brought criminal charges against the Thai reporter for revealing the Pattaya jet ski scam in the British press?  Now it's all over Facebook and there is nobody to jail!).  When people are looking for a place to vacation and they see that Thailand is plagued with what I have listed above, why choose Thailand?

 

It almost seems schizophrenic.  TAT spends so much and works so hard to bring tourists, then the tourists get slapped in the face by corrupt tourist operators with police backing, overzealous and corrupt immigration officials and terrible treatment at the airport.  

 

Oh, and I forgot to mention.  How about the international tourist bound for Chiangmai who shows up at Suvarnabhumi with his allowed 20kg of luggage, takes the shuttle to Don Muang to board a plane onward with an online-purchased ticket that cost 1,200 baht, only to be told at the Don Muang counter that the luggage charge will be an extra 5,000 baht?  Only in Thailand.  I live here.  But if I was a tourist and that happened to me, I would NEVER EVER come back here.

[Oliver Holzerfilled]

2 hours ago, Duck J Butters said:

Phuket has the most beautiful beaches in the world with extremely beautiful warm water and ocean life.

Delusional.

[Matzzon]

7 hours ago, Traubert said:

I think you need a crammer on reading comprehension.

 

I can see you don't get irony/sarcasm/satire so you are certainly not English.

 

I can definitely see you missed the reference to TVFers. Then again you are one so excuse me if I'm not amazed.

No, I do not need anything for reading comprehension. Yes, I get irony, satire and sarcasm. No, I am not english. Last my post is not there to make anybody amazed. I have not missed any reference either, but it certainly seems like one of us have missed it. What I have been posting is right or close to the truth. Missing in is that everone is not english, and that english people have a very special (different from the rest of the world) way to use irony, sacasm and satire. That out of a much more arrogant way of handling themselfs in thier society. That´s a fact, and nothing I say to make brits look bad. Let´s then consider this forum that has members from all over the world. Then the one that reads the reference also can understand the meaning between the lines. That suggests the use a mainstream english version that the common international speaker can understand. 

So, the simple answer is. No, I didn´t understand that special brittish sarcasm in the reply to my post. I also think that most persons that read it in relation to my original comment, that are non english, will have problem to find any irony, sarcasm or satire in it. Anyway, thanks for the extensive feedback. Now I will get back to topic.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Regarding the tourism in Thailand, it has amazed me that it have gained in volume year by year up until now. This is something I was expecting to see and read about 5 years ago, because that is about how long time they have been trying to keep the baht living in the zone of the undead.

What, I do question, though, is if the high valued baht is the main reason. It might be so, but there are so much more. Some of them are mentioned down below, but it´s just my guessing going on:

1. All the suddenly enforced regulations regarding all lines of work, that has been made visible during the last 3-4 years. Meaning that many of who was seen as tourists no longer dares to stay here, let´s say half year at the time.

 

2. What about the change in attitude? Life here is not as pleasant as it was, due to that the people are no longer happy. On the other hand, who can blame them?

3. Increase in everyday violence, that straight of the bat, makes it dangerous for some of us to come here.

 

4. The big pollution of the beaches, which was a part that many tourist loved about Thailand before.

5. The corruption seems to grown and be bigger for everyday that goes by. Let´s say, there is no possibility that a sensible person in a leading position can walk through Pattaya and not find any kind of prostitution. If the person ain´t blind and unhinged that will say.

 

Ok, that was only a few. or course there are a lot more. And if they do not understand and see what´s happening really quick. Then this will only be the start of the big exodus from Thailand regarding tourism they see. The same will also regard long time stayers and expats, but that big movement will take a little bit longer due to strong roots in the country. Big competition like Cambodia, Vietnam and more are coming up like very good choices for all that want a place with less fuss for living and visiting Asia.

 

[fullcave]

The junta needs to do more to crack down on tourism! Also those pesky long term expats need to be hassled and shown the door They need to increase pollution in every sector ( noise, air, water). Not to mention all those plastic bags that throw themselves everywhere. Oh, and longer lines at imagration so they can collect everybody's biometric data. etc. etc. etc. That'll fix it. 

[The Preacher]

17 hours ago, connda said:

Now that tourism has been disemboweled, watch the Eye of Sauron turn inward and start decimating the long-stay expat population in the name of national security, borders, and culture.

 

Start?  It seems like this project has been well under way for a few years now.  In my 12 years here, I feel less secure here than ever before.  I keep expecting a new requirement of an 8 month million baht bank deposit to qualify for the marriage extension, with no grandfathering.

 

Edit:  If it wasn't for the fact that I have a wonderful Thai wife (who is in the teaching profession) and family (all educated English speakers and delightful), I would be out of here like a scalded cat.

 

[Rookiescot]

Thailand needs a strong baht.

If you are buying weapons systems like submarines from abroad then it works out cheaper ????

[Lenny Jones]

2 hours ago, Duck J Butters said:

 

Phuket, the black hole of the south, where they film Hollywood movies and the world’s wealthiest people live and own property. Where Olympic althletes come to train and where CEOs of social media juggernauts come to meditate. Yep, black hole sounds about right.

 

Your statement about Phuket is simply false, just as this article is complete and utter nonsense. Do you live in Phuket? Well I do and:

 

a) tourism is much higher than it was at this time last year. At least it is in Northern Phuket where they are targeting the wealthy family crowd. I was in Patong last weekend as well and it was busy as usual, same old same old 

 

b) Phuket is far from the blackhole that you describe. When you refer to Phuket as a blackhole, are you referring to Patong specifically or the entire island? Have you been anywhere else in Phuket besides Patong? 

 

Granted, i’m only 30 years old but I have Phuket properties in Laguna Beach, Naithon Beach and I just bought a place in Kamala this month. I also own properties in Maui and Hawaii, USA. I prefer my properties in Phuket. I prefer living in Phuket to both Maui and Hawaii. 

 

I don’t find Phuket overbuilt at all unless you are referring specifically to Patong. There is a massive amount of land available on the island, especially on the Eastern side. You can find empty beaches and large plots of land in the East for good value. I picked up a beachfront 19 rai plot for 4 million baht recently.

 

Traffic Jams? Again, are you referring to Patong or to all of Phuket? As a person that lives in Phuket, I cannot relate to this. I regularly drive from Naithon to Kamala and Patong and I don’t find there to be much traffic at all. Frankly, the roads are usually empty.  I’ve never witnessed a single traffic accident in the years I’ve lived here in Phuket.

 

Dirty water? Wait what? What are you talking about? Please visit other beaches besides Patong Beach. Phuket has the most beautiful beaches in the world with extremely beautiful warm water and ocean life. I go swimming every morning down at Layan Beach. Crystal clear, warm, no trash. I also recommend Banana ( secret beach that you have to hike to ), Naithon Beach, and Nai Yang Beach ( great beach for running, you can run along the beach to the airport and watch the airplanes take off, I do this often ). Please check out other parts of the island. Phuket is absolutely beautiful. I recommend booking a weekend at the Amanpuri Resort and reevaluating your position on Phuket.  Pullman in Naithon is also nice.

 

Phuket has become expensive but it is not at all what you describe. It is certainly not a black hole. Famous Hollywood celebrities regularly visit and stay in NothWest Phuket. Leonardo DiCaprio was hear just recently. Beyoncé lives here a few months a year and has 10 homes inside the Amanuri Resort ( built by Russian billionaire Vlad Doronan who is also here regularly and just had 20 Maseratis imported to the island ).

 

Not to mention the latest Fast & Furious franchise is being filmed here right now. All the crew are here. Over 1 billion baht will be generated over the month of July for the Southern Thailand economy from filming this movie. Once that movie hits the theaters, it will be viewed by hundreds of millions of people around the world and will further solidify Phuket as a high status tourist destination for the rich and famous. Property values will skyrocket just as they did after the filming of The Beach with DiCaprio.

 

Phuket is so far from a black hole it’s ridiculous and obvious you don’t live here. The best professional athletes and Olympians from all over the world come and train in Phuket. Please check out Thanyapura Health & Sports Center which was built by German billionaire Klause Hebben. They have yoga instructors that trained with the Daili Lama for crying out loud. Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook was literally here on the DL this year for a meditation retreat at Thanyapura. https://www.bangkok101.com/the-rise-of-thanyapura/

 

Phuket also has excellent produce and very fast WiFi. The power goes out often but that would be my only complaint about Phuket.

 

Phuket, the black hole of the south, where they film Hollywood movies and the world’s wealthiest people live and own property. Where Olympic althletes come to train and where CEOs of social media juggernauts come to meditate. Yep, black hole sounds about right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Phuket has the most beautiful beaches in the world with - - -"

 

You HAVE to be joking! - Have you been reading those tourist magazines that get paid to publish that rot.  In THE VERY SAME WEEK Phuket beaches were declared the "Best in the world" local news headlined the outpouring of the black mess of raw sewage and industrial untreated waste onto "the best beach in the world"

 

Go to Australia mate and head off around its coastline.  Go and look at THOUSANDS of pristine beached - many without a single human foot print they are so unspoiled.

 

Look at the pic.  one of THOUSANDS - -

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

2 hours ago, Duck J Butters said:

 

Phuket, the black hole of the south, where they film Hollywood movies and the world’s wealthiest people live and own property. Where Olympic althletes come to train and where CEOs of social media juggernauts come to meditate. Yep, black hole sounds about right.

 

Your statement about Phuket is simply false, just as this article is complete and utter nonsense. Do you live in Phuket? Well I do and:

 

a) tourism is much higher than it was at this time last year. At least it is in Northern Phuket where they are targeting the wealthy family crowd. I was in Patong last weekend as well and it was busy as usual, same old same old 

 

b) Phuket is far from the blackhole that you describe. When you refer to Phuket as a blackhole, are you referring to Patong specifically or the entire island? Have you been anywhere else in Phuket besides Patong? 

 

Granted, i’m only 30 years old but I have Phuket properties in Laguna Beach, Naithon Beach and I just bought a place in Kamala this month. I also own properties in Maui and Hawaii, USA. I prefer my properties in Phuket. I prefer living in Phuket to both Maui and Hawaii. 

 

I don’t find Phuket overbuilt at all unless you are referring specifically to Patong. There is a massive amount of land available on the island, especially on the Eastern side. You can find empty beaches and large plots of land in the East for good value. I picked up a beachfront 19 rai plot for 4 million baht recently.

 

Traffic Jams? Again, are you referring to Patong or to all of Phuket? As a person that lives in Phuket, I cannot relate to this. I regularly drive from Naithon to Kamala and Patong and I don’t find there to be much traffic at all. Frankly, the roads are usually empty.  I’ve never witnessed a single traffic accident in the years I’ve lived here in Phuket.

 

Dirty water? Wait what? What are you talking about? Please visit other beaches besides Patong Beach. Phuket has the most beautiful beaches in the world with extremely beautiful warm water and ocean life. I go swimming every morning down at Layan Beach. Crystal clear, warm, no trash. I also recommend Banana ( secret beach that you have to hike to ), Naithon Beach, and Nai Yang Beach ( great beach for running, you can run along the beach to the airport and watch the airplanes take off, I do this often ). Please check out other parts of the island. Phuket is absolutely beautiful. I recommend booking a weekend at the Amanpuri Resort and reevaluating your position on Phuket.  Pullman in Naithon is also nice.

 

Phuket has become expensive but it is not at all what you describe. It is certainly not a black hole. Famous Hollywood celebrities regularly visit and stay in NothWest Phuket. Leonardo DiCaprio was hear just recently. Beyoncé lives here a few months a year and has 10 homes inside the Amanuri Resort ( built by Russian billionaire Vlad Doronan who is also here regularly and just had 20 Maseratis imported to the island ).

 

Not to mention the latest Fast & Furious franchise is being filmed here right now. All the crew are here. Over 1 billion baht will be generated over the month of July for the Southern Thailand economy from filming this movie. Once that movie hits the theaters, it will be viewed by hundreds of millions of people around the world and will further solidify Phuket as a high status tourist destination for the rich and famous. Property values will skyrocket just as they did after the filming of The Beach with DiCaprio.

 

Phuket is so far from a black hole it’s ridiculous and obvious you don’t live here. The best professional athletes and Olympians from all over the world come and train in Phuket. Please check out Thanyapura Health & Sports Center which was built by German billionaire Klause Hebben. They have yoga instructors that trained with the Daili Lama for crying out loud. Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook was literally here on the DL this year for a meditation retreat at Thanyapura. https://www.bangkok101.com/the-rise-of-thanyapura/

 

Phuket also has excellent produce and very fast WiFi. The power goes out often but that would be my only complaint about Phuket.

 

Phuket, the black hole of the south, where they film Hollywood movies and the world’s wealthiest people live and own property. Where Olympic althletes come to train and where CEOs of social media juggernauts come to meditate. Yep, black hole sounds about right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hahhahaha, your rose tinted glasses will one day come off. Yes I lived over 20 years in Phuket and been to every corner of the island and loved the place in the 80 and early 90s, from than on it gone fast downhill. Almost all my expat friends have left the place due to its not a nice place to live any longer (most of them invested in high end property on the island and spend a lot of money there). Compare for example Mauritius, Reunion or Seychelles other tourist islands in the Indian Ocean to Phuket and you can clearly see that a master plan for a sustainable tourism business is missing in Phuket, it's all about fast money (greed) and not much is being put back into upgrading the product. As I said before they only got them selves to blame. 

[Henryford]

Taxi mafia/Strong Baht easy

[Lenny Jones]

1 hour ago, nobodysfriend said:

no comment , I stop reading BS

Attention-seeking troll looking for reaction - - -

 

[GeorgeCross]

from a marketing perspective in order to make great sales you need a:

 

great product at great prices

 

so everyone, please fill in the blanks:

 

Thailand offers a _______ product at ________ prices.

 

fill in this simple formula Thailand and you can welcome all the quality, responsible tourists your little heart desires ????

 

 

 

 

[spidermike007]

16 hours ago, sahibji said:

when greed and lawlessness sets in tourism is sure to be impacted because visitors begin to look for alternative sources, much to the peril of the country.

 

it is a  long process to rebuild confidence and depends on the genuine will of the hosts to restore  such confidence for people to return. we should never forget that there are numerous alternatives vying for this business.

 

Of course there are. But, due to the extraordinary degree of hubris, arrogance, and the utter blindness caused by fake nationalism, the goons in charge here do not have a clue. They continue to operate as if Thailand was the center of the galaxy, and refuse to take any sort of responsibility, for anything they have caused. It is not just greed and lawlessness, though they are causes. It is rabid nationalism too. Nobody finds that quality appealing, and when it manifests itself a sense of superiority to all things foreign, it is obnoxious, and onerous. And it is based on absolutely nothing. Zero substance to the stated premises. Pure empty suit political rhetoric, spouted by a hapless, incompetent and completely unnecessary army.

[JMSIII]

23 hours ago, Thechook said:

Way to expensive now and the military can't see that their over inflated baht is killing them.

 

23 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Chickens as they say, always come home to roost. Does the blame for dramatically lower numbers lie solely with the locals? You have to say yes. For too long Thailand has treated its tourists as little more than an ATM, to be taken for as much as possible, while giving as little as possible in return. Too many have gone home reporting bad experiences, and more than a few in a box, while the strength of the Baht makes it more and more an expensive option. I don't see any return to the glory days any time soon, as there are simply too many problems which the Thais seem incapable of addressing properly.

Exactly!  Sadly it could be an fairly easy fix, but Thais just don't get it...   I have said many times, what would happen to Thais if Westerners completely stopped coming here for just a year or two?  

 

Because there are other places in the world...

[nobodysfriend]

22 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

 

Of course there are. But, due to the extraordinary degree of hubris, arrogance, and the utter blindness caused by fake nationalism, the goons in charge here do not have a clue. They continue to operate as if Thailand was the center of the galaxy, and refuse to take any sort of responsibility, for anything they have caused. It is not just greed and lawlessness, though they are causes. It is rabid nationalism too. Nobody finds that quality appealing, and when it manifests itself a sense of superiority to all things foreign, it is obnoxious, and onerous. And it is based on absolutely nothing. Zero substance to the stated premises. Pure empty suit political rhetoric, spouted by a hapless, incompetent and completely unnecessary army.

Thank you for your post . You really see it as it is .

 

Like nearly all of your posts btw ...

[Joe Mcseismic]

19 minutes ago, JMSIII said:

Because there are other places in the world...

.....and that's what ordinary Thais involved in the tourist industry just don't understand.

It is inconceivable to them that foreigners would choose another country over Thailand.

[spidermike007]

36 minutes ago, JMSIII said:

 

Exactly!  Sadly it could be an fairly easy fix, but Thais just don't get it...   I have said many times, what would happen to Thais if Westerners completely stopped coming here for just a year or two?  

 

Because there are other places in the world...

Well, we are seeing what would happen right now. There are far fewer Westerners than before. It is mostly Chinese and Indian tourists now. I would estimate western tourism is down 70%. And there used to be alot of big spending Westerners who came here. I had friends who would come and rent villas for $1000 a nite, or stay in suites at five stars at similar rates, and blow thousands of dollars a day on spas, dining out, and shopping. One friend told me a 10 day trip here cost him $75,000 for him and his small family. No big deal, as he was very wealthy. No more. They now go to the Maldives, Sardinia, Greece, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Seychelles, and countless other spots that are moving forward, not backward. They never returned. None of them. They cannot get the level of service, expertise, english skills, assistance, and convenience they rightfully expect. 

[Sealbash]

I aint no economist nor tourism expert on Phuket but here goes:

No problem. It is glaringly obvious no one else on here is either


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[madmen]

2 hours ago, Lenny Jones said:

"Phuket has the most beautiful beaches in the world with - - -"

 

You HAVE to be joking! - Have you been reading those tourist magazines that get paid to publish that rot.  In THE VERY SAME WEEK Phuket beaches were declared the "Best in the world" local news headlined the outpouring of the black mess of raw sewage and industrial untreated waste onto "the best beach in the world"

 

Go to Australia mate and head off around its coastline.  Go and look at THOUSANDS of pristine beached - many without a single human foot print they are so unspoiled.

 

Look at the pic.  one of THOUSANDS - -

Not the best comparison. I don't see any people or a single resort, restaurant bar or cheap rent a girls in that pic. How can you compare it to Phuket? apples and oranges mate

[WaveHunter]

29 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Well, we are seeing what would happen right now. There are far fewer Westerners than before. It is mostly Chinese and Indian tourists now. I would estimate western tourism is down 70%. And there used to be alot of big spending Westerners who came here. I had friends who would come and rent villas for $1000 a nite, or stay in suites at five stars at similar rates, and blow thousands of dollars a day on spas, dining out, and shopping. One friend told me a 10 day trip here cost him $75,000 for him and his small family. No big deal, as he was very wealthy. No more. They now go to the Maldives, Sardinia, Greece, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Seychelles, and countless other spots that are moving forward, not backward. They never returned. None of them. They cannot get the level of service, expertise, english skills, assistance, and convenience they rightfully expect. 

I agree that Thailand seems to have changed recently and is not so attractive to Westerners as it was only a few years ago.  I moved to Chiang Mai from the USA in late 2017 and loved it at first but within less than a year I noticed things changing in a very negative way.

 

At first I was confused why dealing with Immigration seemed to be getting more and more difficult for visa renewals.  Traffic, congestion, and pollution always seemed bad, but I could see it definitely getting even worse. I made short trips down to Chon Buri just to near the beach and get away from the pollution and though my initial trips were nice, it was changing for the worse too.

 

At first Chon Buri seemed great.  This year, I decided to move down there, and what I encountered was a surprise.  Beach pollution has become intolerable this year.  The sewage and floating garbage is so bad I don't even swim off beaches anymore.  it's a <deleted>' joke!  Thai people around there seem to be more patronizing and show less genuine friendliness.  I get the impression they see Westerners now simply as walking ATM machines.  Very sad! There's veru little western tourism around here anymore and it seems that the place has become over-run with bus tours full of rude and obnoxious Chinese tourist. 

 

I'm not prejudiced against Chinese people and travel within China a great deal for business, but the Chinese who come to the Chon Buri area as bus tourists are just some of the worst kind of people I've ever encountered anywhere.  They are loud and obnoxious in public and seem to have no manners at all, like in restaurants or when shopping.  I have no reason why but it's palpable!

 

Anyway, I think I've had enough of Thailand.  It's actually been a wonderful experience overall, but I'm now strongly thinking of moving to Viet Nam.  My impression is Thailand is losing its' appeal, and Vietnam is gaining appeal for Westerners lately in a very strong way!.

[Felt 35]

7 hours ago, Lashay said:

Yes there are nice spots on Phuket, just like anywhere with bad rep...but does average tourist generally see them? No

 

Same as Phuket is overpriced? Sure it is ...if all you see is Tiger complex on Bangla...but Tiger ≠ Bangla, Bangla ≠ Patong, Patong ≠ Phuket, Phuket ≠ Thailand.

 

Exclude Tiger, Bangla is cheaper than similar in BKK, exclude Bangla, Patong is marginally higher priced than Pattaya but cheaper than BKK. Exclude Patong and Phuket is same as any other tourist destination in Thailand..no actually cheaper than many.

 

As to beaches, Patong beach, the one most tourists see, is filthy. Karon/Kata & Kamala are only marginally better. These are only beaches 90% of tourist see. Bearly anyone see's the beaches at north end of the island beyond expats and cheap charlies...which is kind of amusing, cheapest tourists see best beaches

Do we talk about sitting on the sand at beaches or swimming in the ocean?

https://www.nationthailand.com/breakingnews/30362662

[metisdead]

Some troll posts and replies have been removed. 

[harrycallahan]

Suppose the airport transfers are still pulling up half-way and telling the passengers all hotels are booked out, "but we have options...". Phuket is a lawless s***hole.

[StevieAus]

On 7/12/2019 at 9:59 AM, HiSoLowSoNoSo said:

Phuket was really the "Pearl of the south" when I first came there in the early 80's, today I would call it the black hole of the south, over built, traffic jams similar to Bangkoks and dirty water on the beaches. They only got them selves and their never ending greed to blame.

Totally agree first place in Thailand I ever visited more than twenty years ago very enjoyable then have been back a couple of times in recent years but never again overpriced and spoiled.

Went into a local chain hardware store recently they told me that if we bought everything we needed for a building project we are planning we would get a free holiday for two in Phuket.

After I stopped laughing I asked my wife to explain why.

[StevieAus]

7 hours ago, Duck J Butters said:

 

Phuket, the black hole of the south, where they film Hollywood movies and the world’s wealthiest people live and own property. Where Olympic althletes come to train and where CEOs of social media juggernauts come to meditate. Yep, black hole sounds about right.

 

Your statement about Phuket is simply false, just as this article is complete and utter nonsense. Do you live in Phuket? Well I do and:

 

a) tourism is much higher than it was at this time last year. At least it is in Northern Phuket where they are targeting the wealthy family crowd. I was in Patong last weekend as well and it was busy as usual, same old same old 

 

b) Phuket is far from the blackhole that you describe. When you refer to Phuket as a blackhole, are you referring to Patong specifically or the entire island? Have you been anywhere else in Phuket besides Patong? 

 

Granted, i’m only 30 years old but I have Phuket properties in Laguna Beach, Naithon Beach and I just bought a place in Kamala this month. I also own properties in Maui and Hawaii, USA. I prefer my properties in Phuket. I prefer living in Phuket to both Maui and Hawaii. 

 

I don’t find Phuket overbuilt at all unless you are referring specifically to Patong. There is a massive amount of land available on the island, especially on the Eastern side. You can find empty beaches and large plots of land in the East for good value. I picked up a beachfront 19 rai plot for 4 million baht recently.

 

Traffic Jams? Again, are you referring to Patong or to all of Phuket? As a person that lives in Phuket, I cannot relate to this. I regularly drive from Naithon to Kamala and Patong and I don’t find there to be much traffic at all. Frankly, the roads are usually empty.  I’ve never witnessed a single traffic accident in the years I’ve lived here in Phuket.

 

Dirty water? Wait what? What are you talking about? Please visit other beaches besides Patong Beach. Phuket has the most beautiful beaches in the world with extremely beautiful warm water and ocean life. I go swimming every morning down at Layan Beach. Crystal clear, warm, no trash. I also recommend Banana ( secret beach that you have to hike to ), Naithon Beach, and Nai Yang Beach ( great beach for running, you can run along the beach to the airport and watch the airplanes take off, I do this often ). Please check out other parts of the island. Phuket is absolutely beautiful. I recommend booking a weekend at the Amanpuri Resort and reevaluating your position on Phuket.  Pullman in Naithon is also nice.

 

Phuket has become expensive but it is not at all what you describe. It is certainly not a black hole. Famous Hollywood celebrities regularly visit and stay in NothWest Phuket. Leonardo DiCaprio was hear just recently. Beyoncé lives here a few months a year and has 10 homes inside the Amanuri Resort ( built by Russian billionaire Vlad Doronan who is also here regularly and just had 20 Maseratis imported to the island ).

 

Not to mention the latest Fast & Furious franchise is being filmed here right now. All the crew are here. Over 1 billion baht will be generated over the month of July for the Southern Thailand economy from filming this movie. Once that movie hits the theaters, it will be viewed by hundreds of millions of people around the world and will further solidify Phuket as a high status tourist destination for the rich and famous. Property values will skyrocket just as they did after the filming of The Beach with DiCaprio.

 

Phuket is so far from a black hole it’s ridiculous and obvious you don’t live here. The best professional athletes and Olympians from all over the world come and train in Phuket. Please check out Thanyapura Health & Sports Center which was built by German billionaire Klause Hebben. They have yoga instructors that trained with the Daili Lama for crying out loud. Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook was literally here on the DL this year for a meditation retreat at Thanyapura. https://www.bangkok101.com/the-rise-of-thanyapura/

 

Phuket also has excellent produce and very fast WiFi. The power goes out often but that would be my only complaint about Phuket.

 

Phuket, the black hole of the south, where they film Hollywood movies and the world’s wealthiest people live and own property. Where Olympic althletes come to train and where CEOs of social media juggernauts come to meditate. Yep, black hole sounds about right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sounds like you are a travel agent?

[xylophone]

17 hours ago, Pukehina1 said:

Where are the rich Indian quality tourists they were belting on about the other week ... ???!!! 

Well if they smell anything like the bunches of them that I have had the misfortune to be near, they should be offered a package deal which includes a free deodorant.