Phuket Governor calls for direct flights between India and Phuket

PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitree Insutut who today met with Indian Ambassador to Thailand Anil Wadhwa called for direct flights from major Indian cities, including Mumbai and Kolkata, to serve the burgeoning number of tourists flying to Phuket.

After the closed-door meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall this afternoon, Governor Maitree told the press that “Ambassador Anil agreed, and said he would raise the suggestion to involved officers for consideration.

“More than one million Indians came to Thailand last year, with many of them visiting Phuket and Phang Nga. Most of them come for weddings and their honeymoons, and one of their most popular activities is riding jet-skis,” Gov Maitree explained.

Ambassador Anil invited the governor to visit Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, noting that Port Blair and Phuket Province were twinned as “sister cities” in 2005, Gov Maitree said.

Ambassador Anil’s visit comes while two Indian Navy warships are in Phuket, arriving yesterday during three-day training exercises for 150 Indian Navy cadets.

The ambassador today also visited the Royal Thai Navy Third Naval Area Command at Cape Panwa, on Phuket’s east coast, and the Prince of Songkla University Phuket Campus in Kathu.

— Atchaa Khamlo