Phuket Poll: Are there too many hotels on the island?

PHUKET: Official figures by the Tourism Authority of Thailand for 2010 put the number of registered hotels and accommodation establishments in Phuket at 703, up 10.8% from the official figure (639) for 2008.

There was a similar jump in the total number of rooms in these establishments over the same period, the figure rising from 38,528 to 43,036, a percentage increase of 11.7%.

The actual number of rooms available is probably far higher. Phuket Immigration Superintendent Panuwat Ruamrak told a training seminar in November that the actual number of accommodation establishments was “more than 1,000” due to all the unregistered guest houses on the island.

Given these facts and recent trends in occupancy rates, do you think the Phuket hotel industry is in a state of oversupply?

To have your say in the latest Phuket Gazette online readers poll click here or on the icon at the top right corner of this screen.