Phuket News
Phuket news, politics, business, tourism, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, events, and expat updates from Thailand’s top island destination. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Phuket news source.
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BlackPink’s Lisa says “no” to Phuket New Year countdown event
Grand plans by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, to attract international acts for a New Year countdown concert in Phuket, has come crashing down today now that YG Entertainment in South Korea, the management for the K-pop star Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban, made an official statement saying she won’t be coming. The ‘BlackPink’ Thai-born star was a hot ticket for the…
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Finnair launches nonstop flights from Stockholm to Phuket
Finnair has launched its nonstop flight service from Stockholm to Phuket, with the first flight arriving on October 25. The Nordic region has traditionally brought many big-spending tourists to Phuket and Thailand, and Finnair will operate flights twice a week from Sweden’s capital to Phuket. The flights are great news after reports that many international carriers are dropping their slots…
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Senior hotels association member says NYE stars will boost Phuket tourism
The president of the Thai Hotels Association’s southern chapter is backing the government’s decision to spend millions of baht on Phuket’s end-of-year festivities. Officials have confirmed that K-Pop star Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will perform in Phuket on New Year’s Eve. Critics have derided the plan due to the cost involved, with many suggesting the money…
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Tourism Ministry to invite K-pop megastar to perform at Phuket NYE celebration
Thai-born K-pop star Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban, from the band Blackpink, is being invited to perform during New Year celebrations on the southern island of Phuket. The cost won’t be cheap, but the government is defending the move. Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says the superstar’s presence will help promote Thailand’s re-opening to the world. “The main key reason for bringing global…
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Thailand’s bars and beach parties remain strictly closed (cough)
Will some of Thailand’s most popular hotspots ever come back to life? It appears that the bars and beach parties will never restart as these photos reveal darkened streets and deserted beaches. Last week’s Full Moon Party was curtailed after initially getting the go-ahead from Koh Pha Ngan police. It eventually went ahead but in a vastly reduced ‘covid-era’ form…
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“Together Phuket Stepping Forward”: tourism plan after Sandbox
“Together Phuket Stepping Forward” is the new tourism campaign designed to be the successor to the Phuket Sandbox now that the government is firming their plans to open without quarantine to a newly-expanded list of 46 countries. The plan grew out of a town hall meeting yesterday with private and public agencies along with the Phuket Tourist Association. Phuket Governor…
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Phuket officials confirm island’s recovery plan following sandbox “success”
The southern island of Phuket is looking to the future, with ambitious plans to evolve into a tourism, education, and service innovation hub between 2023 and 2027. The Bangkok Post reports that officials are preparing to launch the “Together Phuket Stepping Forward” campaign, in line with the country’s imminent re-opening. Governor Narong Woonciew says the campaign will follow on from…
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Governor says income distribution essential to Phuket recovery
The Governor of Phuket announced in a speech yesterday that his goal was to maximize income distribution as the island begins to open up more. Phuket is expecting an influx of tourists to arrive after the November 1 reopening, and a campaign is being launched to make sure that the benefit from the increased tourism can be shared by all.…
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Phuket’s Life Home Project Foundation becomes partner of GlobalGiving
Phuket’s Life Home Project Foundation has recently become a recognised global partner of GlobalGiving. The non-profit organisation announced that they had graduated from the GlobalGiving Accelerator program after successfully raising funds for one of their projects. That project called “Help HIV+ Thai Children finish the school year 2021-2022,” saw donations from 43 unique individuals in the amount of US$7,805. The…
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Police in Phuket increasing checkpoints, cracking down on moving violations and crime
Phuket police have warned that anyone driving dangerously through checkpoints will be ticketed. This announcement comes after a report from a Thai news source said that the Tha Chatchai police had received an order to issue more traffic tickets. This was followed by a flurry of posts on social media warning drivers in Phuket that police at the Phuket Check…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Phuket tourism operators banking on 5 billion baht recovery fund
Businesses on the resort island of Phuket are counting on a 5 billion baht fund to revitalise the decimated tourism sector. Thanet Tantipiriyakit from the Phuket Tourism Council says tourism operators on the island are pinning their hopes on the fund being created. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the fund will materialise. With the money, we can breathe a…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Phuket received 139,375 ATKs to test quickly for Covid-19
As part of over 800,000 antigen test kits allocated to the South of Thailand, Phuket has received 139,375 ATKs to support the fledgling tourism relaunch on the popular travel destination island. The National Health Security Office reported the delivery to Phuket today from the Zone 11 office based in Surat Thani. The nearly 140,000 test kits to Phuket was the…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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PM Prayut eyes 1 million “high-quality tourists” in his Phuket transformation
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has announced intentions to attract 1 million foreign travellers and 60 billion baht in revenue over the next 6 months by promoting Phuket as a world-class destination (again). The Thai prime minister took to Facebook to introduce his “Phuket Transformation” plan to attract what Thailand views as high-quality foreigners on a “workation” – the most recent buzzword…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Officials expect tens of billions of baht in Phuket tourism revenue in next 6 months
The governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand expects Phuket to welcome 1 million foreign visitors in the next 6 months. Yuthasak Supasorn says this will generate around 60 billion baht in tourism revenue, as a result of some travel restrictions being relaxed. “We expect the number of visitors will significantly increase in the final quarter factoring in the quarantine…
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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…
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“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…
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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…
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Phuket restaurants can serve alcohol starting October 1
In a decision that should drastically help the Phuket Sandbox and stimulate the economy, the CCSA gave initial approval to an order to allow selling and consuming alcohol in restaurants starting October 1. Thailand has had a national ban on alcohol consumption in groups and in businesses for months, with a recent crackdown on violators, but the rule would only…
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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