All jetties in Phuket will be developed as "smart piers" to be incorporated into the Phuket Sandbox tourism scheme for tourism safety support, says the Ministry of Digital, Economy and Society (DES).
Minister Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn, who came up with the plan, inspected the province's readiness on Saturday and visited the Phuket Smart City campaign at Visit Panwa Pier in Muang district.
Visit Panwa Pier has been developed into a smart pier using digital solutions for its management system and services for travellers. Key features include an intelligent passenger management system and wristbands and life jackets to help track tourists if they require assistance.
Mr Chaiwut said the smart pier scheme will play a crucial part in monitoring tourists under the sandbox scheme in which tourists are required to stay in Phuket for 14 days before travelling to other provinces in Thailand.
"It is a key tool in monitoring the movement of tourists," he said. "The smart piers should be expanded to every pier. It will support the tourism industry's development too."
The scheme will see the island reopen on Thursday, followed by a trio of destinations in the Gulf of Thailand -- Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao -- on July 15. It allows fully vaccinated tourists to come from some countries without state quarantine requirements.
He said the smart pier should be expanded to every pier in the province, adding the ministry will provide technical support to the pier operators to help them deliver better tourism service standards.
He said local administrative bodies can also provide financial support in infrastructure and system development.
Deputy governor Piyapong Chuwong said that only three piers, Ratsada, Ao Por and Ao Chalong, are included in the early phase of sandbox tourism scheme and more will be included to accommodate an increase in tourists.
Khanin Jai-at, executive of Visit Panwa Co, said he hopes the pier will be included in the scheme soon. The facility once served as many as 3,000 tourists in the pre-Covid era, he added.