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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Soi Dog Foundation is looking for flight volunteers
One of Thailand’s favourite charities, the Soi Dog Foundation, has put out the call for any foreign nationals from European and North American destinations who are heading to those destinations soon to come forward as potential flight volunteers to help adopted pets arrive at new overseas homes. Over 100 adopted animals are currently waiting patiently at the shelter in Phuket…
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Phuket eyes October 1 as launch date for “Safe and Sealed” tourism plan
The Tourism and Sports Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, says his ministry hopes to kick-start a careful and limited re-opening to international tourism from October 1, beginning with the southern province of Phuket. According to a report in the Bangkok Post, Phiphat’s ministry will meet with the Public Health, Interior, Foreign and Transport ministries on August 27 to discuss the introduction of…
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Phuket drivers, tour operators ask Toyota for loan grace period
With the drastic decline in tourism, dozens of van and taxi drivers, as well as tour operators in Phuket say they can’t make payments for their vehicle loans. With around 20,000 baht+ owed per month and little to no income, drivers and tour operators are facing having their vehicles repossessed. This morning, around 50 drivers and operators gathered together in…
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Motorcyclist dies on his way to Bangla Bike Night
A Kuwaiti man died on his way to Bangla Bike Night in Patong Beach, Phuket after crashing his motorcycle into a power pole. At around 12:45am today, locals heard a loud noise and found the man on the ground next to the power pole. They say he was in a pool of blood and his Kawasaki z900 motorcycle was nearby.…
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Phuket proposes to welcome tourists by November
PHOTO: Willy Thuan Phuket business owners are pressing forward with a proposal to turn around province’s tourism industry by allowing long-stay tourists to resume visits to the southern resort island as early as November. Under the “4T” model put forward at a meeting of the provincial disease control committee, long-stay visitors have been identified as having the best potential to…
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Dozens of Burmese, Thai workers demand back pay, benefits in Phuket
An estimated 100 Burmese and Thai workers went to Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday to report their employer for not paying them for 3 months, and to try and get some clarity if they still have jobs. They filed their complaint with the ombudsman’s office and the Labour Protection Social Security Office. 27 year old Burmese national Min Thu Khu explained…
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Phuket may be chosen as test case in phased re-opening to foreign tourists
As the Tourism Authority of Thailand considers how the country might safely re-open its borders, the Bangkok Post reports that there are tentative plans afoot to kick off the project with Phuket, possibly in October. The director-general of the Department of Health, Panpimon Wipulakorn, says Phuket’s position as a self-contained island means it would be easier to control any potential…
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Korean man in Phuket suicide
In an apparent suicide, the body of a South Korean man was found in a pickup truck in the city district of the southern resort province of Phuket yesterday, his head covered in a plastic bag. Police found the white pickup, with Phuket licence plates, in the car park of the Golden Triangle Been Co. in tambon Vichit after being…
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Phuket’s killer boat Phoenix ripped apart for scrap metal
OPINION A very sorry sight today as an infamous relic of Thailand’s worst maritime disaster ends up being ripped apart and sold for scrap. Thai authorities will be glad to see the ghosts of ‘Phoenix’ gone once and for all. On July 5, 2018, two tour boats capsized off the south west coast of Phuket, during a sudden storm. 46 people…
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Truck goes for a swim at Phuket beach – VIDEO
Visitors to Phuket’s Yanui Beach on the island’s southwest coast were surprised to see a pickup truck roll across the beach and into the sea yesterday. Ironically, the black pickup came to a stop in the “no swimming” zone marked by a red flag, indicating that it’s is dangerous to enter the water at that part of the beach. The…
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Phuket seeks to revive tourism with 3 major events planned
Phuket is planning a series of promotional events in an effort to revive tourism in the hard-hit province. With tourism accounting for 80% of the economy, Phuket is arguably one of the most highly-impacted areas in the country after the economic fallout of the Covid pandemic struck. The Minister of Commerce, Jurin Laksanawisit, is overseeing the staging of 3 major…
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Phuket seeks to diversify after Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to cripple Thailand’s vital tourism sector, with provinces that rely the most on tourism revenue, being hit the hardest. Thailand may have managed to contain the Covid-19 virus, but at the expense of its economy going into a free fall with the southern resort province of Phuket exemplifying the downturn. Phuket businesses, which rely almost exclusively…
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Hotel bookings bounce back for long weekend holiday
The long holiday weekend is reportedly seeing heavy bookings at hotels and resorts, reigniting hopes of a revival of domestic tourism, which has been battered for months by the Covid-19 outbreak. Accommodations in the southern provinces in particular have been receiving a good rate of bookings with holidaymakers for the 4 day extended weekend. The tourism authoritiy of Thailand says…
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Newly discovered 3,000 year old cave paintings in Phang Nga
New cave art, reportedly at least 3,000 years old, has been discovered in the southern Phang Nga province’s Phang Nga Bay Marine National Park. The head of the park says he he found the ancient paintings while leading park officials to investigate the Petch Pakarang Cave at Koh Talu in Takua Thung district on Friday. Currently there are 4 locations in…
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Man arrested for stealing Phuket ambulance
A man has been arrested in Phang Nga after allegedly stealing an ambulance in Phuket. Reports in Thai Residents and The Phuket News say the vehicle was stolen from outside the Kathu office of The Kusoldharm Foundation at around 4am yesterday and discovered missing by a member of the foundation shortly after. After notifying police, foundation workers initially tried driving…
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Thailand’s tourist magnets deserted and desperate
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, bird flu, SARS, political upheavals, passenger boats sinking. None of these have had anywhere near the effect of this year’s Covid-19 pandemic in Thailand. Visitor numbers, even from the usually enthusiastic Tourism Authority of Thailand, are expected to plummet up to 80% for the year. The other 20% mostly visited the Kingdom in the first…
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Phuket plans a drought-proof future
In the high season of 2018/2019 a water shortage emerged on Phuket and reached a critical phase just as the wet season of 2019 began. For a few months there seemed to be more water trucks delivering expensive water to residents than tourist passenger vans on the road (usually ubiquitous). Phuket’s three water sources were critically low, one of them…
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Phuket officials visit Kamala restaurant after customer charged 6,750 baht
A seafood restaurant in Kamala, a west coast town in Phuket, has received strong criticism on social media after trying to charge a customer 6,750 baht for a takeaway meal. 3,000 baht of the bill was a “cooking fee”. Lalita Chaiyasit took to social media to vent her disbelief after receiving the bill. She says she was on holiday with…
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Phuket’s Lard Yai Sunday night market springs back to life
The Lard Yai Sunday night walking street along Thalang Road Old Phuket Town has reopened to the delight of vendors, locals and a few expats. It has been closed for 3 months after lockdowns were applied to community markets. New Provincial Governor Narong Woonchiew says he welcomes people back to the popular market. “The province and the private sector have…
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Two years ago – remembering Phuket’s Phoenix boat tragedy
“There were 13 children that died in this disaster. Many were later found dead, floating face down, not far from their deceased parents.” On an otherwise ordinary afternoon, two tour boats, Phoenix and Serenata, were heading back to Phuket after a half day tour of snorkelling near Koh Racha. The weather forecast was for seasonal monsoonal SW winds and waves,…
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Officials raid 2 Phuket casinos, arresting 87 illegal gamblers
Officials have raided 2 Phuket casinos resulting in 87 people being arrested for allegedly gambling after the island’s provincial police received complaints of gambling dens operating around the clock – a violation of the current Emergency Decree which bans crowds. The first raid took place at about 3:30 pm and was at a casino in tambon Talat Nua of Muang…
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Phuket’s (in)famous “Soi Bangla” district reopens today
Today is the official reopening of Phuket’s famous (or infamous) “Soi Bangla” nightlife district, but only about 20% of venues say they’re reopening during this early stage. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced yesterday that all night entertainment venues may reopen but must strictly adhere to health guidelines set out to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin,…
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Thailand’s hotel industry pushing ahead with recovery
Optimism is building in some corners of the hospitality industry as Thailand pushes ahead with it Covid-19 recovery phases. Occupancy rates in at least Bangkok and Phuket are likely to bottom out soon with the lifting of travel restrictions, according to JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group. Thailand’s hotel industry is now entering a recovery phase following the country’s decision to issue a…
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Phuket’s Sirinat National Park to open again from Wednesday
Sirinat National Park, along the west coast of the north end of Phuket, is set to re-open on Wednesday, according to the province’s deputy governor, Wongsakorn Numchukan. It follows the re-opening of other national parks around the country 2 weeks ago after a 2 month shutdown initiated to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus. And as with re-openings elsewhere,…
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International medical hub proposed by outgoing Phuket governor
Local Thai media reported that Phuket has proposed a new project called “The International Medical and Public Health Service” to create more long term financial security and diversification, and value-added tourism in Phuket, as the island has taken a heavy financial hit due to the effects of Covid-19 pandemic. The project will use state owned property near the Tha…
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Resorts lower prices, offer promos for post-pandemic holidays
Hotels are ready to face off. After months of vacant rooms, prices are being cut to entice domestic tourists to book a post-pandemic holiday. Now provincial restrictions have been mostly removed Depending on the province and risk of coronavirus transmissions, some hotels were ordered to close their doors completely. Now restrictions are being lifted and domestic travel is picking up…
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Phuket Airport is open for business. Flights available today.
Phuket International Airport is open from today. This island’s airport, closed from the start of April, re-opened just after midnight. Not that there are many scheduled flights today. It looks like the announcement from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand caught the airlines by surprise as well but the airlines may add flights quickly to take advantage of the earlier…
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6 fisherman rescued from Phuket waters after their longtail boats sink – VIDEO
2 longtail boats carrying 6 fishermen sank in high seas this morning near Koh Mai Thon aka. Wooden Island, off the coast of Phuket. All 6 fishermen have now been rescued. The 2 boats and their crews left Phuket port last night to fish off Koh Mai Thon, but the crews sent out a distress call about 8am. The boats…
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Russians stranded in Phuket finally allowed to fly home
78 Russian tourists who were stranded in Phuket and surrounding provinces by the Covid-19 outbreak, flew home on a special charter flight last night. Immigration police and airport staff saw them off at the international terminal lounge holding placards reading “До скорой встречи,” which means “See you soon” in Russian. They left on Aurora Airlines flight SHU5495 from Phuket international…
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Reopening of Thailand’s beaches and gyms draws huge crowds
It’s a week into Phase 3 of the easing of Covid-19 restrictions and, following last week’s reopening of Chon Buri’s popular beaches, today it’s Phuket’s turn. It remains to be seen if the inclement weather (during the morning), and the south west monsoon waves, will keep the crowds at bay along the island’s famed west coast beaches. As of this…
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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