Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s team visited Phuket and Phang Nga for the second time on September 29, just a month after their initial visit on August 25-26. This signals a clear commitment to expedite various projects with a budget in trillions of baht, aiming to elevate Phuket to a global city, stimulate tourism, and become a centre for spreading prosperity to the Andaman region, Thansettakij reported.
The strategy to elevate Phuket to a global city in the 2023-27 Provincial Development Plan focuses on diversifying the local economy, and not relying solely on tourism as in the past. Before the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019, Phuket had welcomed 14.5 million foreign tourists, generating revenue of 422 billion baht, ranking second after Bangkok. The province’s gross domestic product was 251 billion baht. However, the pandemic inflicted a severe blow on Phuket, as 97% of its revenue…
