Government plans marina at Chalong

PHUKET CITY: Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura has announced that Phuket province plans to build a marina in Chalong Bay.

The announcement was made during a seminar at the Royal Phuket City Hotel, attended by about 80 participants from both government and private sectors.

Panjit Pissawong, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Commercial Office, told the Gazette that Chalong Bay is the most suitable location for a new marina.

It is already home to the new Chalong Pier and to the “one-stop” service that allows mariners sailing into Phuket to clear Customs, Immigration and Marine Department procedures in one place, she pointed out.

K. Panjit said the marina would be a boon to marine tourism, an industry that is expected to grow swiftly now that import and excise taxes on foreign vessels have been reduced to zero

“To promote marine tourism, we have to attract yachtspeople here by providing marina facilities,” said K. Panjit, adding that human resources would also need to be developed in order to meet the expected growth in the industry.

“We discussed the idea of introducing programs in marine mechanics at polytechnic and vocational schools in Phuket,” she said.

“The marina project will be initiated by the government, but will also be open for private-sector investment. The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization, as the representative [body] of the Phuket people, will prepare a master plan for the project at a later date,” K. Panjit added.

A source told the Gazette that the project would include both hotels and a duty-free shopping area.

In a related story, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has announced that it is considering taking space at the Paris Boat Show and is looking for co-exhibitors.

Participation in the event, which will run from December 3 to 13, will cost between US$500 and US$1,000 (20,000-40,000 baht) per company, depending on the number of companies that agree to join.

For more information, visit the website at https://www.ifbso.com/single.asp?ShowID=12