Phuket News / Island’s Latest Updates

Phuket real estate is suffering a dramatic slowdown because of the global economy and the falloff in tourism, says Tanan Tonpiboon, President of the Phuket Real Estate Association. Up to 30 percent of construction has ceased, he said. Of developments where construction is complete, sales are running at 20 percent to 40 percent. Read the rest of this entry …

Phuket may be suffering an economic crisis and a crime wave, but July is expected to bring a celebrity visitor to restore morale: one of the world’s most powerful women, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Read the rest of this entry …

Kata Noi, one of Phuket’s finest small beaches, benefited today from a surge of attention to mark World Environment Day. Local residents, tourists and students from nearby schools planted 300 trees and more than 5000 goat’s feet beach climbers as well as conducting a clean-up along the sand. Read the rest of this entry …

The results of the investigation into the One-Two-Go crash of Flight OG269 at Phuket Airport in 2007 were released today, listing six causes for the tragedy. The report also made three sets of recommendations, one for the airline, one for Airports of Thailand, and one for the Department of Transport. Read the rest of this entry …

Airports of Thailand (AOT) has given the go ahead for Bangkok-based ASA Group to develop Thailand’s first world-class fixed base operation at Phuket International Airport. The move is a clear indication that the country has overcome its recent troubles when demonstrators seized control of Bangkok’s International Suvarnabhumi Airport. Read the rest of this entry …

Pacific Blue has applied to the International Air Services Commission (IASC) for the rights to fly between Australia and Phuket, Thailand, up to seven times per week. If approved, the flights to Phuket would be flown by 180-seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft and would mark the second Asian destination for Pacific Blue, following the successful launch of flights late last year to Bali from Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. Read the rest of this entry …

When there is blood in the streets, can you sell real estate, even if it is your own? That is the question facing property developers, brokers and investors here. The island, Thailand’s largest, is one of Asia’s top markets for vacation villas. Behind the casuarina trees along “Millionaire’s Mile,” luxury multimillion-dollar homes perch on cliffs, their marble swimming pools looking out west over the Andaman Sea. Along Phuket’s roads, billboards tout “no risk” deals and flash pictures of fancy seafront apartments. Read the rest of this entry …

Political turmoil in Bangkok last week has caused two Chinese airlines to shelve plans to launch direct flights to Phuket from Shanghai and Guangzhou. The flights were to accommodate increased demand from tourists in both markets. Unfortunately, recent events in the capital have raised security fears, causing both carriers to delay their launches indefinitely. Read the rest of this entry …

Yachting legend Rolly Tasker will never forget the day Prince Charles hitched a ride on his racing boat. “We were lining up off Cowes for the Queen Victoria Cup in 1979, when one of the crew called out to ask me if I was prepared to take a passenger,” he said. Read the rest of this entry …

Phuket Governor, Dr Preecha Ruangjan, is leaving the island after serving only four months and 22 days as Governor. Dr Preecha has been posted to Phitsanulok province and will be replaced by Wichai Praisa-Ngob, who is currently the Governor of Singburi province. Read the rest of this entry …