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.
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Phuket Sandbox looking ahead to Russian, UK travellers
While the daily rollercoaster ride of the Phuket Sandbox tourist launch, with the jump from 7 to 14 days, the last-minute approval, the problems getting a Certificate of Entry, and the few cases of Covid-19 infections, it’s easy to overlook the forest for the trees. But if viewed not as a full reopening to the pre-Covid-19 heydays but rather as…
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11 new local Covid-19 infections today in Phuket
While Covid-19 infections are still relatively low in the Phuket Sandbox, especially compared to the rest of Thailand, today’s 11 infections mark the highest number of local daily infections since the Sandbox began. The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office released the figures today the bring the total number of Covid-19 infections found in the last 7 days to 42. While…
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Bars can reopen in Rawai Phuket.. but not like we hoped
The moment we have all been waiting for has finally arrived! After mounting pressure and a meeting today with Aroon Solos, the mayor of Rawai, Phuket, bars, pubs and entertainment venues will be allowed to reopen. Just without any of the things that bring customers. The mayor of Rawai met with the Muang District Chief and a select group of…
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Meeting reveals Thai vs foreigners in Phuket Sandbox, other stats
Statistics and data regarding the Phuket Sandbox can be cloudy and conflicting, but at yesterday’s meeting of the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee, some rarely shared figures were discussed. One often questioned detail is how many people in the numbers reported for international traveller arrivals are truly tourists and how many are even foreigners at all. During the meeting, it was…
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Man tries to bluff his way through Phuket checkpoint, police unravel ruse
Early yesterday morning, a man tried to bluff his way through a Phuket checkpoint by using his friend’s vaccination certificate to gain entry to the island and hopeful tourist paradigm. However, the bigger problem wasn’t that man tried to gain entry into Phuket. The bigger problem was that man already had gained entry into Phuket using this bluff. Multiple times. The…
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Travellers from “dark red” and “red” zones must be vaccinated to enter Phuket
Those who aren’t vaccinated against Covid-19, and are travelling from a “dark red” or “red” province, won’t be allowed to enter Phuket… at least for the next couple of weeks. With the rise of coronavirus infections amid the island’s reopening to foreign tourists under the “Sandbox” model, Phuket authorities are tightening restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus. From…
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Officials argue most leaving Sandbox aren’t unhappy
Nothing shows confidence more than repeatedly shouting “fake news.” But amid growing negative press regarding the Phuket Sandbox, officials find themselves continuously denying rumours that Sandbox arrivals are fleeing the island and going home unhappy. While many have left the Sandbox, more have arrived, and the government’s argument isn’t without merit as those who left the Sandbox have various reasons.…
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Thailand international boat show coming to Phuket in 2022
Press Release Hit hard by the pandemic, Phuket is set to receive a boost in the new year when the Thailand International Boat Show will be held 6 – 9 of January 2022 at the award-winning Royal Phuket Marina. Targeting those with an interest in boating and luxury lifestyle, organisers also expect to welcome wealthy jet-setters from overseas on the…
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Government dismisses rumours of Phuket sandbox collapse as “fake news”
The government says the Phuket sandbox scheme is going “very well”, describing rumours of its imminent demise as, “fake news”. According to a Bangkok Post report, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchan from the Centre for Economic Situation Administration says the only thing threatening the sandbox scheme is false reporting on social media that claims the island has been ordered to close due to…
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Karon criminal arrested for allegedly stealing 18,000 baht
Yesterday, a man was arrested in Karon, Phuket for allegedly stealing 18,000 baht from an American. The 42 year old unnamed Thai man allegedly stole 18,000 baht out of 39 year old James Anthony Melwesti’s villa. James had contacted Karon police to report he was 18,000 baht lighter. Thai media says that police checked CCTV and saw a man had…
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Infections in the sandbox not surprising, says Phuket health office Chief
“The infected cases among Phuket Sandbox tourists were expected under the plan made before opening the island.” Phuket Provincial Public Health Office Chief Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon announced at a press conference yesterday that Covid infected tourists popping up in the sandbox were “expected”. Dr Kusak assured the public, and tourists mulling where to go on vacation, that zero of the…
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Koh Samui opens for bookings from vaccinated foreign tourists
Koh Samui’s sealed route programme, Samui Plus, has opened for business, with vaccinated tourists now able to apply for a certificate of entry. Ratchaporn Poolsawadee from the Tourism Association of Koh Samui says some details need to be ironed out, including determing the cost of a 7-day stay at an alternative state quarantine facility, to include Covid-19 tests and medical…
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Tougher checks for visitors arriving on Phuket from high-risk provinces
As the southern island of Phuket grapples to keep its “sandbox” scheme running amid rising Covid-19 infections, tougher controls are being introduced for domestic visitors. From Thursday, until the end of the month, arrivals from the 10 “maximum controlled and restricted” and the 24 “maximum controlled” provinces, will need to meet stricter criteria if they want to visit Phuket. According…
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Phuket order says visitors must test negative for Covid before granted entry, with exceptions
The Phuket Governor, Narong Woonciew, issued an order today that stipulated that “anyone” who wishes to enter Phuket from a “red”, or “dark red” zone must test negative for Covid before they are granted entry. The restriction applies to those who have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from being infected. The order is set to take effect July 15…
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Phuket Sandbox woes: 2 more foreign Covid-19 cases, Delta variant
The Phuket Sandbox has hit a few hurdles with the revelation of 2 more international arrivals testing positive with Covid-19, as well as the first cases of the Delta and Beta variants on the island. The news comes in the wake of the Governor ordering most of the islands’ schools to close for 14 days due to the rising risk…
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All Phuket schools closing for 2 weeks amid Covid-19 fears
Ah, Thailand, where one city can simultaneously be reopening and reclosing. While the arrival numbers aren’t anywhere close to early predictions, the Phuket Sandbox has had relatively little Covid-19 issues and the people arriving are relatively happy. But the same cannot be said about schools in Phuket where, after numerous schools started closing due to infections, Governor Narong Woonciew announced…
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Sandbox tourist forced to stay in ASQ hotel after fellow passenger on her flight tests positive
Stefanie came to Phuket as a kick start to a new adventure and a long term stay in Thailand. The Phuket Sandbox option would allow her to visit around the island for 14 days before heading off to other destinations in Thailand. But it didn’t work out as planned. Now, she’s stuck in a small room for up to 14…
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2,500+ in Phuket Sandbox, flight and hotel numbers increasing
Despite the first international Covid-19 case of the Phuket Sandbox and the subsequently quarantined passengers requesting to leave Thailand, increasing numbers of international travellers continue to arrive each day in the reopening scheme. Yesterday 125 more travellers arrived on flights from Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi, with 11 more flights scheduled for the next 2 days. That…
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12 Sandbox travellers in quarantine request to leave Thailand
The strict rules and closed entertainment venues have discouraged many potential tourists from coming to the Phuket Sandbox just yet, but many who have arrived have expressed happiness to be enjoying the beauty of Thailand, even with the complex process and limitations on the ground. But predictably, one group of Sandboxers who have are in quarantine after one traveller tested…
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2 More schools close in Phuket after infections found
2 more schools are being closed in Phuket after infections were discovered. The 2 school closures in Phuket town follows a staff member and a parent having close contact with a high risk person. The schools announced they will be closed to clean and sanitize their facilities. The schools are: Darasamuth Phuket School Kajornrangsan Municipal School The Darasamuth school announced…
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Phuket taxi meeting: 20% fare cut, but doesn’t address gouging
The Phuket Office of the Public Relations Department has tried to paint a win for a meeting regarding overcharging taxis in the Phuket Sandbox, though the resolutions seem unrelated to the problem. During the meeting, taxi drivers agreed to a 20% discount for all fares until the end of the Covid-19 pandemic but did not address the problem of complaints…
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Foreign Covid-19 case had Sinopharm, domestic infections bigger concern
More information is coming out now about the first Phuket Sandbox traveller to be infected with Covid-19 yesterday. The man from the United Arab Emirates was fully vaccinated with the Sinopharm vaccine more than 7 months ago and had tested negative before boarding his flight to Phuket. But while infections from abroad make headlines, the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office…
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Phuket Sandbox growing with 33 airlines requesting flights
The Phuket Sandbox is slowly bringing international travellers back to Thailand, and while it’s had a few problems, signs indicate that confidence is growing in the scheme. With El Al, Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways bringing in flights from the Middle East, Singapore Airlines connecting people in Southeast Asia, and Thai Airways operating 5 flights from Europe, international flights are…
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Phuket governor orders investigation into complaints of taxi drivers overcharging
Taxi fares charged from the Phuket International Airport are now being investigated by provincial authorities. The Phuket governor ordered the probe after criticism over a Facebook post asking if the 900 baht fare from the airport, quoted by a hotel in Patong, seemed too expensive. Taxi prices in Phuket are notoriously high compared to other provinces. On the social media…
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3 travellers escaped Phuket Sandbox but were quickly caught
In light of the recent discovery of the first internationally imported case of Covid-19 in the Phuket Sandbox scheme, the news that 3 people so far have “escaped” from the strictly regulated accommodations might be a little unnerving. While the Sandbox may not be airtight, authorities successfully located and handled 3 tourists reported missing from Phuket hotels this week. The…
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Phuket Sandbox over 2000 arrivals; 1 Covid-19 infection
On day 7 of the Phuket Sandbox, international arrivals have surpassed 2,000 people, the first Covid-19 infection from abroad has been found, and a few hiccups have been addressed. Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew says the reopening is definitely benefiting the economy, but plenty of improvements are to be made. Government officials have been pleased to announce that with their strict…
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Phuket “Sandbox” traveller infected with Covid-19, tour group now in quarantine
A man who arrived in Thailand under the Phuket “Sandbox” reopening scheme has tested positive for Covid-19. The man is the first so-called “Sandboxer” to test positive for the virus since the island’s reopening last week under the scheme which allows travellers from overseas, who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, to enter the island province without undergoing quarantine. A Covid-19…
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Phuket Tourist Police announce taxi fares, ask travellers to report rip-offs
Following criticism and confusion over the notoriously high taxi prices in Phuket, particularly relating to those arriving in Thailand under the “Sandbox” reopening scheme, the Phuket Tourist Police have announced the maximum taxi fares from the Phuket International Airport to popular destinations on the island province. For a ride in a 4-seater taxi from the airport, the driver can charge…
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Phuket official says taxi fares have gone down since the pandemic
Following posts shared on social media on the notoriously high taxi fares amidst Phuket’s reopening under the “Sandbox” model, a provincial transport official is apparently saying the posts are old and the prices do not reflect the current rates. A local transport official says the prices have actually gone down. The Facebook post from a tourist planning a trip to…
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Phuket reports 7,347 “sandbox” hotel bookings for July
There have been 7,347 hotel bookings made for the southern island of Phuket as its “sandbox” re-opening continues. In the first 4 days of the scheme, the island has welcomed 1,416 international arrivals, most of whom are foreign nationals. Below is the breakdown: Day 1: 479 (303 foreign nationals, 176 Thais) Day 2: 544 (467 foreign nationals, 77 Thais) Day…
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.
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