Phuket News
Discover the latest news and updates from Thailand’s most famous and beautiful island, The Thaiger’s hometown, having previously operated as the Phuket Gazette.
Our team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from Phuket, covering everything from local politics and business to lifestyle and tourism. Learn about the island’s stunning beaches, vibrant nightlife, and thriving expat community, as well as keeping updated on events, and attractions.
The Thaiger is your ultimate guide to staying connected with Phuket’s ever-evolving landscape. To keep up with the most reliable news source on the island, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
-
Sponsored Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management
Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...
-
Phuket celebrates end of Vegetarian Festival
Last night, a giant celebration marked the end of the 9-day Phuket Vegetarian Festival. A parade made its way through Phuket Town, with devotees either marching or travelling by motorcade. Midnight marked the hour at which observers were able to once again eat meat. Processioners marched through the streets of Phuket Town for hours carrying flags and shrines, while members…
-
Chiang Mai ready to re-open despite new cluster of infections
The governor of Chiang Mai says the province is ready for the planned November 1 re-opening to foreign tourists. Despite a new cluster of infections being detected at the large market of Talad Muang Mai, Prajon Pratsakul insists the northern province is ready to re-open. The Bangkok Post reports that 478 Covid-19 cases have been traced to the market, which…
-
Return of the tar balls on Phuket’s northern beaches
The tar balls are back. During a scheduled beach clean yesterday along Phuket’s north-coast Nai Yang Beach, volunteers noticed the return of the mysterious tar balls that were washing up along the coast in the weeks before Phuket’s Sandbox started on July 1. Michelle from Sustainable Mai Khao Foundation contacted The Thaiger this morning with the news of the return…
-
Phuket, Samui to ease entry restrictions for domestic tourists from this weekend
From this weekend, entry restrictions for the islands of Phuket and Samui are being eased for fully vaccinated domestic tourists. Local travellers who can show proof of being fully vaccinated will no longer need to submit to Covid-19 testing to enter Phuket and will no longer have to quarantine after arriving on Samui. The move comes as the government launches…
-
Weekly Phuket Covid-19 Update: Deaths and infections slowing
Over the past week in Phuket, Covid-19 daily infections have been slowly decreasing with 165 new infections today and no new deaths. But Sandbox infections have been creeping up with 20 new infections found in international travellers over the past week. Daily infections peaked September 21 with 254 new cases that day, and by the end of September, finally fell…
-
Phuket sandbox has welcomed 42,000 international arrivals since July 1
Since the launch of the Phuket sandbox scheme on July 1, the southern island has welcomed over 42,000 foreign visitors to its shores. The Tourism Authority of Thailand has got the calculator out again and according to TAT Phuket director, Nanthasiri Ronnasiri, over 2 billion baht has been generated for the economy. “We set the target at 100,000 visitors because…
-
Phuket Vegetarian Festival kicks off, poles raised to call spirits down from the heavens
The famous Phuket Vegetarian Festival kicked off yesterday, with its traditional ceremony to welcome spirits to descend from the heavens, but under Covid-19 restrictions. Go Teng poles were raised at participating shrines as a call for the Jade Emperor and Nine Emperor Gods to come down to earth. During the festival, some will practice self-mutilation, such as tongue slicing or…
-
Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival schedule 2021
Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival, also known as the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, has arrived. Spanning 10 days from October 5 to the 15, the festival is iconic for those who like exotic and very, very unique cultural events. It’s a commemoration that invites ancient Chinese spirts to come down from the heavens to witness almost 8 days of fire walking, noisy…
-
Phuket bar owner arrested for allegedly serving booze after 10pm
The owner of a bar in Phuket was arrested for allegedly selling alcohol after 10pm, a violation of the provincial order limiting alcohol sales in an effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19 through socialising. Phuket News reports that the 29 year old who ran the bar was arrested after midnight yesterday at the City Bar on the outskirts of…
-
Sri Panwa resort face punishment for illegally acquired land
Just as the National Anti-Corruption Commission probed Trisara resort, the luxury resort Sri Panwa in Southeast Phuket is facing legal action for land the Department of Special Investigation says was acquired illegally. The resort is accused of acquiring one plot over 3 rai in area with a Nor Sor 3 Gor land document – papers with ownership privileged just short…
-
NACC: Trisara resort faces illegal land ownership charges
Following on from last week’s disclosure of a probe into the upscale Sri Panwa property in Phuket, another luxury property, Trisara resort, faces a similar investigation into illegal land ownership by the National Anti-Corruption Commission. The probe by the NACC into Trisara resort named 29 officials involved in the illegal document issuing, with ex-Phuket Vice Governor Weeraway Janpen being singled…
-
Floods bring higher prices on vegetables to Vegetarian Festival
The world-famous Phuket Vegetarian Festival is set to begin on Wednesday, but aside from Covid-19, the flooding in Thailand has also proved to be damaging the upcoming festivities by driving up the cost and scarcity of vegetables. The heavy rains from tropical storm Dianmu have damaged many crops including vegetables in the central, north, and northeastern regions. Plus floods have…
-
Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival kicks off this week
Get out your protective eye-wear and ear muffs. It’s THAT time of the year on Thailand’s southern island. Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival kicks off next week, but under the remaining Covid restrictions that limit the size of crowds, etc, etc on the island. The Vegetarian Festival, aka. Nine Emperor Gods Festival, is an annual commemoration inviting ancient Chinese spirits to come…
-
Phuket Sandbox revised to 7 days, more excursion freedom
As restrictions are widely eased for entry into Thailand and the various Sandbox programs, the Phuket Sandbox has simplified, shortened, and streamlined as well. Beginning yesterday, Phuket Sandbox travellers arriving internationally will only be required to stay 7 days before being allowed to travel on to the rest of Thailand. An RT-PCR test will be given upon arrival and a…
-
Sandbox travellers can new enter via Krabi and Phang Nga
Krabi and Phang Nga provinces have launched their reopening programmes on October 1, welcoming international travellers into Thailand, and joining the Phuket Sandbox and Samui Plus programmes. In a series of press releases yesterday evening, the Tourism Authority of Thailand outlined revisions to entry options into Thailand and explained the rules of the new Sandboxes launched yesterday. KRABI In the…
-
11 million baht online scams see Thai woman, Nigerian man arrested
Police in Phuket have arrested a Thai woman and a Nigerian man accused of bilking victims out of at least 11 million baht in online romance scams. The pair were taken into custody by officers from the Immigration Bureau and the Cherng Talay Police at a rented room located in Srisoonthorn, Thalang. Police only made public the arrest yesterday though…
-
Phuket entry update October 1: Checkpoints, testing, vaccines
Starting tomorrow, the rules for entering (and exiting) Phuket are changing. The Phuket Sandbox will be reducing the time arriving international travellers must stay on the island to one week, meaning they won’t need as many Covid-19 tests as well. But revisions also go into effect for domestic travellers and overland entry onto the island, making it easier for tourism…
-
“Sandbox” period in Phuket shortened to 7 days for vaccinated travellers
With the recently relaxed rules on the quarantine period for overseas arrivals, those who enter Thailand under the “Phuket Sandbox” will only be required to stay in the province for seven days instead of the previous 14. The “Sandbox” pilot reopening project allows vaccinated travellers from abroad to roam freely on the island rather than isolate in a hotel. The…
-
Phuket Covid-19: hospital beds and occupants jumped this week
One new death from Covid-19 was reported in Phuket last night, along with a new Sandbox infection and another arrival from abroad that was not part of the Sandbox and 195 daily infections. September has seen 55 deaths, bringing the total to 75. Among Phuket Sandbox travellers, 116 infections have now been uncovered as well as 26 infections from abroad…
-
Phuket tourism operators want COE process reformed, other rules amended
Tourism operators on the southern island of Phuket are calling for the certificate of entry process to be reformed in order to attract more sandbox visitors. And, according to Bhummikitti Ruktaengam from the Phuket Tourist Association, they would also like to see changes made to other entry criteria. “Simplifying the certificate of entry process is the first and foremost key…
-
Phuket governor petitions Bangkok to end restaurant alcohol ban, bar closure order
The governor of Phuket has lodged a formal appeal for restaurants on the southern island to be allowed to sell alcohol and for nightlife to be re-opened. The Phuket News reports that Narong Woonciew submitted the request to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration yesterday, citing the unprecedented financial struggles faced by locals as a result of the restrictions. The…
-
Phuket Car rental business says gang rented cars and then sold them off
The owners of a car rental business in Phuket are out 10 cars and vans after a gang said they wanted to rent the vehicles for business, including work with a large cannabis operation, but failed to return the vehicles. The owners say they are worried the vehicles have already been sold off in other provinces. One of the rental…
-
DSI says land documents were illegally issued for the Phuket “Sri Panwa” resort
The luxury resort in Phuket accused of land encroachment will now be investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the Department of Land, and the Anti-Money Laundering Office. Thailand’s Department of Special Investigations looked into the “Sri Panwa” project in Phuket and said that the resort illegally acquired land rights documents. According to Nation Thailand, the DSI found that Sri Panwa…
-
Phuket relaxes checkpoint requirements to help tourists and health officials
Phuket is looking to bring in more domestic tourists and reduce the workload for healthcare officials who have to screen visitors, by reworking their health surveillance measures, says the provincial office. The measures are focused on the Chatchai checkpoint. Yesterday, Provincial governor Narong Woonciew announced that over 30,000 people have visited Phuket via the Sandbox programme that was launched 2…
-
Phuket begins new subdermal injection method for vaccines
Phuket has become the first province in Thailand to implement a new injection method of administering a third Covid-19 booster vaccine under the skin instead of into the muscle. Staff at the Indoor Sports Stadium at Saphan Hin began using the new vaccination method for the first time yesterday. The Ministry of Public Health recently approved the new method following…
-
Phuket Covid-19: 5 new deaths and 4 new Sandbox infections
In the last 24 hours, the Phuket Sandbox uncovered 4 new infections and 5 people have died of Covid-19 in Phuket, bringing the total this week to 21 deaths. Today brought 225 new infections, and with 2,053 of the 2,418 hospital beds in Phuket full, hospital occupation rates have climbed once again to just under 85% after falling for the…
-
Phuket man finds 30 million baht surprise “whale poop” on beach
A local villager in Phuket was on a jog Thursday morning when he stumbled on a substance that he believes may be worth up to 30 million baht. the man didn’t find gold, or diamonds, or even birds’ nest. The treasure that the 66 year old Mai Khao resident discovered? Whale poop. Ambergris is a waxy, solid substance that sperm…
-
Phuket Covid-19: 3 new deaths, 322 released from medical care
Phuket had 228 new infections and 3 new Covid-19 deaths yesterday, bringing the total to 64 since the start of the third wave of the pandemic in Thailand, with 16 of those deaths occurring over the last week and 44 of them happening in the month of September. The death toll stood at 20 as this month began, and has…
-
Phuket Covid-19: 1 new death, hospital occupancy rates fell
With over 200 people being released from Covid-19 medical care in Phuket and 76 hospital beds freed up, the hospital occupancy rates fell to just over 82%, down from a peak around 90%. Today saw 239 new infections, a slight drop from yesterday, and one new death. The death was of a 47 year old man who smoked. He had…
-
Police suddenly began raiding Patong bars selling alcohol
While it’s been illegal for bars to open in Thailand and the selling or consumption of alcohol in public is forbidden, police have been looking the other way as patrons sneak beers in bars in Patong, the famous entertainment and nightlife district in Phuket. But after over a month of this occurring under the radar, police have begun raiding and…
Phuket is a province in the south of Thailand. Phuket's beaches face the Andaman Sea allowing the west coast beaches fantastic sunsets right throughout the year. If you're looking for news in Phuket, go to thethaiger.com/phuket Or follow our instant news in our Facebook pages.
The good news is that Phuket is famous for its foodie scene with an enormously diverse range of local and international foods - Phuket and southern favorites, street food along with international choices catering for the 12 million visitors to the island each year. Thaiger follows Phuket news and information 24 hours a day with regular updates.
Phuket is only 'just' an island with a 300 metre bridge linking it to Thailand's mainland. We're always reporting in the news that the channel beneath is frequently dredged to maintain Phuket's status as an island. On the other side of Sarasin Bridge is the Province of Phang Nga.
Getting to Phuket is easy as the island has land, air and sea connections. Phuket is also used as a take-off point for local island trips as Thailand's largest island is surrounded by over 30 pristine islands. Koh Phi Phi and the famous Maya Bay are always in the news and would be the best known of the island's just off Phuket's shores.
Phuket is an island and a province. It's the largest island in Thailand – 48 km north to south, 21 km east to west.
It's about 20% smaller, in area, than Singapore but much less densely populated. Whilst the island nation of Singapore boasts a population of nearly 6 million, Phuket has a permanent population of around 400-450,000 (but varies a lot with the influx of tourists and a workforce that is always changing). Most of Phuket remains jungle and tropical rainforest despite an acceleration of development over the past 20 years.
Unlike some of Thailand's other popular islands (that are in the Gulf of Thailand), the news is that Phuket is located in the Andaman Sea.
Phuket is 878 km north of the equator.
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.