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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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...
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Rare leatherback turtle lays eggs in Phuket’s Mai Khao
Officials of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources and army personnel rushed to build a fence at Mai Khao Beach on Friday after learning from a village headman that a leatherback sea turtle laid eggs there. The area is located in the Sirinart Marine National Park, one kilometre north of Phuket’s airport. Officials built the fence and posted army…
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Austrian man dies in Patong condo fall
A 68 year old Austrian man is dead after falling from his 12th floor condominium in Patong. His body was found at about 10 last night, on the ground outside the Patong Night Plaza condominium, where police say he lived alone. According to his passport he entered Thailand on December 19 on a 90 day visa. Blood pressure diabetes medications…
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Bibi does Bangla – What is the Thai girl experience with foreign boyfriends?
Bibi heads to Soi Bangla in Phuket’s seaside party town of Patong. She’s inquiring about Thai girls’ opinions, even the working girls in the clubs. Have they had experience with a foreign boyfriend? What about their foreign boyfriend experiences, good and bad? What are their expectations? Is it all about money or are the Thai women more romantic than the…
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The knock-on effect. Coronavirus hits Phuket hotels.
The Thaiger’s occasional Phuket hotel management contributor is back with some inside knowledge of the current situation for hoteliers on the holiday island. That the coronavirus situation is affecting hotel bookings, is an understatement, he says. Here’s some of the current thinking as Phuket hoteliers stand around the water-cooler and mull the situation. Our writer has asked to remain anonymous……
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Phuket, Bangkok and Chiang Mai hard hit over ‘palpable’ tourism drop
The 2019-nCoV coronavirus, the official name for the Wuhan or Novel Corononavirus, is resulting in dozens of high-season flights to Thai southern beach resorts being cancelled. The virus is already deemed an international public health emergency by the World Health Organisation. “While Patong survived and thrived after SARS, the tsunami and a few army coups, this virus is stripping our…
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Phuket’s governor appeals for calm, issues warning over fake virus news
Amid the flurry of news stories about the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak, Phuket’s Governor Phakaphong urged people this week to beware of fake news and reports that don’t cite their sources. “Fake news has been shared on social media, making people worried and damaging Phuket’s tourism image. Please check before believing it, reduce the panic.” One report that went viral this…
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Health officials now checking Chinese tourists in Phuket hotels
Health officials in Phuket are checking up and visiting Chinese tourists at local hotels over worries about the Wuhan Coronavirus. Though there are no confirmed cases on the island, officials are performing the checkups as precautions intensify to contain the spread of the virus. Phuket’s deputy governor says officials are now taking more proactive measures to combat the coronavirus, with…
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No confirmed coronavirus cases in Phuket, six tourists under observation
A this stage, no one in Phuket has been confirmed as infected with the coronavirus. Director of Vachira Hospital’s Dr Chalermpong Sukontapol brought local media up to date in his media scrum at the hospital yesterday. But he announced that 6 more tourists are currently under observation but are, as yet, unconfirmed to be carrying the novel coronavirus. One of…
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No confirmed cases in Phuket, 10 remain in hospital awaiting tests
Ten patients in Phuket were still waiting for test results confirming if they had the coronavirus or not yesterday. Up to yesterday afternoon there have been no confirmed cases detected on the island in southern Thailand. The director of Vachiraphuket Hospital in Phuket Town, Dr Chalermpong Sukhonthapol, confirmed that since January 5 health officials had identified 23 people with “suspicious…
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4 year old Wuhan girl cleared of coronavirus in Phuket
A 4 year old girl from Wuhan, who was not allowed to board her flight home on Friday, has tested negative for the Wuhan Coronavirus and been discharged from hospital. “A fluid sample from the girl’s nose was sent to the Health Control Division in Bangkok to test for the virus,” local health authorities told The Phuket News. “The test…
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The rise of the e-bicycle in Thailand, a bit of motorised assistance
by Nicole Kash Cycling tours offer a unique way to explore Thailand. Faster than walking but slower than driving, cycling tours cover plenty of ground while allowing cyclists to immerse themselves in the sights, smells, and culture of Thailand without the boundary of a car window. Cycling tours can cover up to a heart-pumping 150 kilometre a day. Though exciting…
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Top 10 islands to visit in Thailand (2020)
Thailand is famous for its outstanding island experiences and there are many to choose from. From sweeping stretches of clear golden sands to islands where you can dive, snorkel and stay, Thailand’s islands and beaches are as diverse as they are plentiful. Let’s count them down… 10. Koh Tao & Koh Nang Yuan Koh Tao is an island that is…
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Australian rescued after falling from the top of Ton Chongfa waterfall in Phang Ngan
Emergency responders from the Phang-nga provincial public disaster prevention and mitigation office have recovered a female Australian who fell from the edge of a waterfall in Takuapa district in Phang Nga yesterday afternoon. The rescue took more than five hours with rescue crews working in almost total darkness. The female victim was part of a group of three other Australian tourists…
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64 year old Singaporean found dead in Thalang, Phuket
A 64 year old Singaporean man was found dead inside a house in Phuket’s Thalang district on Thursday morning. Police say they were called to Yucharoen housing estate by neighbours who found the man dead in his bathroom. The man’s name is being withheld pending notification of relatives. Police say there were no bruises on the man’s body and that it appears…
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Unsecured pickup falls off of ferry bound for Phuket
In another case of a truck ending up in the ocean, a pickup truck is getting an unscheduled washing after it rolled off a ferry leaving Phang Nga Island bound for Phuket on Wednesday afternoon. The truck, which was unsecured, quickly sank and remains on the seabed. The owner of the inter-island ferry has agreed to compensate the owner of…
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Suspected British Coronavirus patient, confirmed NOT to have the virus – UPDATE
It’s now been confirmed that a British man, in critical condition in a Thai Hospital, has not contracted the Chinese Coronavirus. Ashley Shorley, who was holidaying on Koh Phi Phi at the time, became seriously ill with a “flu virus” on December 27. He was rushed by boat (reported as a sea plane in other media) to Phuket where his condition worsened. He…
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The year’s first leatherback turtle hatchling emerges in Phang Nga
Officials from the coastal National Park in Phang Nga, southern Thailand, are delighted after the first leatherback turtle hatchling hatched and emerged from the nest. Whilst it was headed to the Andaman Sea, marine officials took it to a nursery to be raised, giving it a much higher chance of survival when it is eventually released to the sea. According to…
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82 year old Frenchman killed in motorbike crash with ATV in Phuket
An elderly French man has died after an American woman lost control of her all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and crashed into his motorcycle in Chalong, southern Phuket. The woman was seriously injured. Police say the incident occurred on Soi Klum Yang in Chalong around 4pm on Thursday. The crash involved a red ATV, and a black motorcycle ridden by the 82 year…
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Three massive condo developments along Phuket’s up-market Layan Beach
by Bill Barnett – c9hotelworks.com Two new condo developments are going ahead in the Layan Beach area of Phuket’s up-market west-coast beach strip. And there’s another one underway next to the Dream Beach Club at the northern end of the Layan beach strip. All in all, another 1,200+ keys added to the available rooms along the Bang Tao/Layan Beach area.…
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Minor International battles Marriott over popular Phuket hotel property in court
Marriott International, the American international hotel company, has failed in its bid to secure an injunction in a Thai court to stop a legal claim filed by the Minor International group. Minor International (MINT) says that its subsidiary MI Squared Ltd had filed a legal claim in a Thai court against Marriott International and the Thai subsidiary Luxury Hotels &…
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Police shoot knife-wielding attacker in Phuket Town
A police officer has shot dead a robber in Phuket Town early yesterday (Wednesday). The knife-wielding robber, 34 year old Aekkasit Kesorn, from Nakhorn Sri Thammarat, had attacked the officer whilst being interrupted in the middle of a robbery. The policeman ended up with a knife wound to the neck. The officer pulled out his firearm and shot the attacker…
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Smuggled cigarettes seized in Phang Nga valued at 6 million baht
Cough, splutter, gasp… A former police officer has been arrested in Phang Nga, just north of Phuket, last night for his participation in a cigarette smuggling ring. The former officer was charged with possessing illegal foreign cigarettes worth nearly six million baht – the news from Khao Sod. A total of 74,327 ‘Blue Range’ cigarette packs valued at nearly 6…
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Russian tourist in coma after Patong hotel balcony fall
A Russian tourist remains unconscious in hospital after falling four floors from the balcony of his Patong hotel. Police say the man, Daniil Solovev, is in “a serious but stable condition”. Police were called to the accommodation on Nanai Road hotel at 11am on Sunday morning. By the time they arrived, Solovev had already been rushed to hospital. Emergency responders say…
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75 year old tourist ‘attacked’ by small unidentified shark in Phang Nga
A Phang Nga swimmer was was bitten and attacked by a mystery beastie…. thought to be a shark, and probably a small bull shark. The A 75 year old German tourist says he was swimming in the sea off the southern Thailand beach with his wife on Sunday. The incident occurred only 6 – 7 metres from the shoreline. He…
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Crunching the numbers on Phuket’s hotels – 2020
PHOTO: Travel 141 Bill Barnett from c9Hotelworks, crunches the numbers and reports on some challenges for Thailand’s largest island and most popular tourist destination, outside of Bangkok. Robust passenger arrivals in the second half of 2019 highlighted by growth in Indian tourists helped rebalance the island’s tourism sector, according to the C9 Hotelworks newly released Phuket Hotel Market Update (link…
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Thailand Yacht Show 2020 opens in Phuket
The fifth Thailand Yacht Show is now open at the Royal Phuket Marina in Koh Kaew. The annual on-water yacht-fest features an array of over 50 luxury yachts and boats, including several world and Asian premieres, from the region’s leading brokers. The show runs until January 12 and is open from 11am – 7pm nightly. The overall intention of the…
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Young men busted selling drugs online in Phuket, Phang Nga from their Twitter account
Two young Thai men are being held by police after their arrests on Monday for selling drugs online in the southern provinces of Phuket and Phang Nga, according to the Thai news blog Khaosod. The online drug trade is becoming an enormous business operating using common, everyday social media and delivery platforms. The suspects, 16 and 20 years old, opened…
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Phuket 2020 – predictions by Bill Barnett
by Bill Barnett, c9hotelworks.com In a series of articles we are pondering what may happen around Thailand over the next twelve months. Bill Barnett is in the ears of the country’s many hotel operators and chains. His consultancy, c9hotelworks.com, shares some perspectives about Thailand’s largest island. All too often I am approached and asked what’s going to happen to Phuket in the…
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Thailand Yacht Show returns to Phuket January 9 – 12
The Thailand Yacht Show takes place at Phuket’s Royal Phuket Marina from January 9 – 12 taking advantage of the island’s peak visitor season. It’s the fifth edition of the show that started at the Ao Po Grand Marina five years ago and then merged with the Phuket Yacht show three years ago. If you’re in and around the island…
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Hackers moved the Google location for Phuket’s popular Promthep Cape
A house at the Huay Namthor village in the Muang district of Phuket has been getting some additional visitors since December 31. Tourists, using Google Maps to find the popular attraction of Laem Promthep (Promthep Cape), the southernmost spot of the island, have been ending up 4 kilometres away from their intended destination. The location pin had been moved by…
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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