Phatthalung polishes its tourism sheen

Phatthalung polishes its tourism sheen

New airport, network of roads promise to give staple attractions such as nature tourism, niche shops a boost

Phatthalung used to be a far-flung, overlooked destination which visitors once travelled past almost without noticing.

A bird's eye view of the natural attractions of Phatthalung, which is shedding its image as a 'second-tier' destination overlooked by many tourists in the past. photos by Weraphan Chaikere

Now the southern coastal province has revealed its charm, with the lure being its delectable cuisine and natural marine beauty in abundance.

Phatthalung's tourism sheen looks set to be "polished" through making more travel options available as transport infrastructure projects are mooted, including construction of the province's own airport.

The province raked in 3.4 billion baht in tourism revenue last year, up from 3.15 billion baht in 2017 and 2.59 billion baht in 2016. Its tourism revenue was the highest among the so-called "second-tier" tourist provinces last year with the number of travellers reaching 1.6 million.

More than 15,800 tourists from Malaysia and Singapore visited the province in 2017 while most Thai visitors were from the lower southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.

Phatthalung has seen increasing investment in hotels and resorts over the past several years while provincial tourism operators are ramping up public relations campaigns about tourist destinations in Phatthalung to draw more travellers into the province.

The local businesses insisted opening the door wider to tourism begins with giving them greater ease of travel. They agreed that "sharing" an airport with neighbouring, established destinations like the bustling commercial district of Hat Yai in Songkhla would not cut it.

Tourists magnets in the province include seasonal festivals, locals' everyday livelihoods associated with farming and the natural scenery.

Getting an airport in the province could motivate people to visit the province as air travel is fast and less tiring and frees up time for visitors to enjoy what Phatthalung has to offer more.

The businesses also argued airport facilities could cater to ancillary enterprises concerning pilot and cabin crew training along with aircraft maintenance.

In mid-April, representatives from the tourism, business, administrative and local organisations raised the airport proposal with provincial authorities. The meeting decided public hearings should be organised to gauge reactions from residents in 11 districts before submitting the project to the government to approve.

The hearings are needed as the benefits of tourism are distributed across districts and so residents, however, far they live from the airport, will still gain.

Kunthon Thongsri, engineering lecturer of Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, who is also coordinator of a working team looking into the province's infrastructure and airport development, said 1,400 rai of state land has been eyed for the location of the airport.

According to experts, the airport should not be too big but large enough to land small- and medium-sized aircraft with seats to be filled mainly by tourists.

The airport, the experts pointed out, should not compete with the regional air travel hubs in Hat Yai or Phuket or with the airport in nearby Trang for a share of the general segment of travellers since the Phatthalung airport is positioned to cater mainly to tourists.

Phatthalung is about 60km from Trang airport, 100km from Nakhon Si Thammarat airport and 90km from Hat Yai airport. Hat Yai airport handles between 32-35 commercial flights a day including international ones while Trang airport serves six flights daily and Nakhon Si Thammarat 10 flights per day.

If the airport proposal takes off, it would likely interest local businesses in investing in the project with tourism a fast-growing cash cow for the province's economy, Mr Khunthon said.Apart from the airport project, the province also needs at least five new roads to create a comprehensive web of transport channels that take visitors to top tourism spots, he said.

The roads would include an 82km road by Songkhla Lake which passes giant wind turbines promoted as a key tourism landmark; a 63km outer ring road off Phatthalung; an inner ring road; a road along the Banthat mountain range between tambon Thung Naree of Pa Bon district and tambon Lan Khoi of Pa Phayom district, where an array of natural tourist attractions, including a waterfall, are located.

The 'norah' folk dance, in which performers are dressed in elaborate costumes and headgear, is a crowd puller.

Another would be a road linking the Gulf of Thailand with the Andaman Sea, which stretches from Phatthalung to Krabi via Satun and Trang provinces.

Mr Kunthon said the route would open convenient access to several world-class tourist attractions in the Andaman Sea as well as to Perlis state of Malaysia. The roads can invigorate Phatthalung in the long run under a 20-year national strategy unveiled last year, he said.

These road projects would cost six billion baht to be paid for entirely by the government, according to Mr Kunthon.

Another added advantage of the province is public safety, which is what businesses look for in considering where to invest.

"It is now time to build the airport," said Sitthichai Lapanupattanakul, chairman of the Tourism Industry Association of Phatthalung.

"This is because nature-based tourism here is booming. A lot of the visitors are from Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Phuket, Krabi, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat," he said, adding surveys found nature tourism high on prospective visitors' bucket list of things to do in Phatthalung.

"The tourism business has grown vastly since 2017, particularly in the outer areas, including gardens, mountains, Thale Noi, Songkhla Lake and creeks, where more rafting resorts are going up," said Mr Sitthichai.

Among the new attractions which fulfil the diverse tastes and expectations of visitors to Phatthalung are Tainod market, Napoke rice farm, bamboo gardens, Kanam coffee shop and Bingna café, he said.

Some of these new-trend businesses built their shops using local wood as their interior decorations to display the architectural integrity of the province. The owners did not break their banks opening the shops since they kept the scale of their business manageable.

Oft-frequented sites of Phatthalung are the Pakpra canal and the Thale Noi which receive impressive reviews in travel publications. High on the Banthat mountain range, nature is described as pristine by intrepid travellers who go on side trips to the wildlife sanctuaries, according to Charoenchai Chuaychoo, managing director of Phattalung Eco Tour Co.

Praiwan Choomai, adviser of the Phatthalung community tourism network, said agricultural, nature and health tourism are also sought after by visitors.

There are around 14 agricultural attractions run by local communities. They include Suan Lung Pluem, Suan Sala Lungthan, Suan Samrej, Napoke rice farm and Sampao Thai farm.

Mr Praiwan said Phatthalung must keep its traditional identity intact, which can be accomplished by local gastronomic fare, such as gaeng liang or a spicy mixed vegetable soup.

"Visitors to Phatthalung would be pleasantly surprised by experiences they have never had before," said Mr Praiwan, adding Phatthalung has an advantage over other provinces since it is regarded as a top province in the South, which has managed to preserve its cultural identity.

He said local residents may need skill and knowledge about how to be efficient tourism hosts and tour guides.

Although Phatthalung is regarded by the tourism authorities as a second-tier tourism province, its natural resources are first-rate, which redefine the province's appeal for visitors, Mr Praiwan added.

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