More than 5,000 athletes and officials, as well as their families and friends, are in Phuket during the 10-day 4th Asian Beach Games that kicked off last Friday (14 November 2014) and will run until this Sunday (23 November).Phuket hotels are running at about 80 per cent occupancy island-wide, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office. The healthy occupancy is attributed to the Games and the high season period, which kicked off from 1 November.
Mr. Sugree Sithivanich, Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications of TAT said, “The 10-day Games is expected to boost tourism in Thailand, and stimulate the country’s economy. We hope that athletes and officials, as well as their families and friends, will take the opportunity to spend their time visiting famous natural attractions and historical sites in Phuket and nearby Phang-nga and Krabi.”
From famous viewpoint overlooking three beaches – Patong, Karon and Kata – in Phuket
The Games’ organising committee is providing a booklet that recommends key places of interest and interesting tour activities in Phuket, Phang-nga and Krabi. For Phuket, the booklet recommends a tour of Phuket Old Town, a day tour of the island itself, a trip to sample local delicacies, a range of shopping opportunities and extravaganza shows. It highlights ‘fun activities’ that include golfing, horse riding and jungle bungee jumping.
For Phang-nga and Krabi, recommended places of interest are, for instance, Ko Panyi, Ao Phang-nga, Mu Ko Similan National Park, Mu Ko Surin and Mu Ko Phi Phi, as well as fun activities including sea kayaking, rock climbing and scuba diving.
For anyone interested in the local way of life, there is another brochure highlighting community-based tourism routes in the three provinces, including a visit to the fishing village of Ko Lone in Phuket and Ko Yao Noi in Phang-nga.
Phuket currently has about 47,000 hotel rooms in all categories. New openings this year have included the 34-key Kata Rocks Phuket, 199-room Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort, 224-room Novotel Phuket Karon Resort and Spa, and 314-room Grand Mercure Phuket.
Laguna Phuket Aerial View
In terms of infrastructure, Phuket currently has several large-scale island infrastructure projects underway, including the expansion of Phuket International Airport, the construction of two underpass projects at the Central Festival Intersection and Tesco Lotus Intersection, and the upgrading of the Deep Sea Port.
The 4th Asian Beach Games is taking place from 14 to 23 November, 2014.
