PHUKET: A leading business organisation has called for the improvement of safety measures and infrastructure to maintain the resort island as a prime destination for quality tourism.
Phuket Tourist Association president Thaneth Tantipiriyakij said on Friday that members were “somewhat” worried about the deaths of foreigners in Thailand as they reflected badly on safety in the country.
“If we are focused on quality tourism, safety is one of the issues that should be high on our priority list,” he said.
Deaths involving foreign tourists have included drownings despite the presence of red flags on beaches to warn swimmers of strong tides and rough seas. Road accidents have also injured or killed foreign visitors.
Nine people, five of them foreigners, have drowned so far this year, though 115 lifeguards have been deployed at beaches across the island, according to the provincial office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
The department said the province also recorded 107 road accident deaths in the first six months of this year. At the current rate, the full-year total would surpass the 168 deaths recorded in 2023.
Mr Thaneth repeated a call for the central government to seriously channel budget funds into better roads, a public transport system, waste management and other infrastructure as the challenges are too big for local administrations to handle.
Phuket still has only one main road to link with the southern mainland. As well, he said, recent heavy downpours that left many roads under water and paralysed traffic showed that capacity to cope with flooding needs improving.
Better safety and infrastructure could attract tourists to stay longer and spend more on the island, he added.
The Phuket office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) projects 400 billion baht in revenue, a modest increase from 388 billion last year, from tourists and tourism-related businesses this year.
Mr Thaneth said he believed the target was within reach as the island still welcomed about 10,000 foreign travellers a day from up to 300 flights landing at the airport even though it is now the low season.
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