With the tourism industry on the rise, Phuket's hospitality industry is gearing up for a new wave of visitors. According to the Phuket Hotel Market Update 2023 report, Phuket will have 38 new hotels with an additional 14,357 rooms in 2032.
Over 40,000 tourists visited Phuket daily last year, and hotel occupancy rose to 80% from 48% last year. The report also pointed to the growth of the tourist flow from Russia, Europe, India, Malaysia and Singapore.
This growth in tourism in Phuket has led to the expansion of hotel operators. One of them, Destination Group, has entered into an agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group to open a new Holiday Inn Resort Phuket. Destination Group is also partnering with the Radisson Hotel Group to open two new hotels. Phuket currently offers over 92,000 rooms in 1,786 hotels.
Four new hotels will be opened soon: Pullman Phuket Arcadia Karon Beach Resort, Narai Mai Khao Resort, La Green Hotel and Homa Phuket Cherngtalay, which will offer 1,732 more rooms. Eight new hotels with 1,820 rooms will appear in 2024, three hotels with 699 rooms in 2025 and four more hotels with 680 rooms in 2026. Despite this rapid development, experts have raised concerns that such a rapid expansion could lead to various problems, including traffic congestion and damage from natural disasters.
In addition, it is noted that Phuket needs to develop a long-term tourism development plan, as well as the construction of an airport in Phang Nga, a high-speed highway and the Patong Tunnel to support the sustainable growth of the industry.
