A SENATE committee proposed that the government develop Phuket, Phang Nga, and Krabi into a single Asean economic, tourism and transportation hub rather than letting them move along separately as has been the case so far, Naewna newspaper said today (May 8).
Senator Chavapon Watthanavekin, vice chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said his committee is currenting visiting Phang Nga and Phuket, with the trip having started yesterday and ending tomorrow, to gather information for recommendation to the Senate and government with the main goal being to propel the three Andaman coastal provinces into a single hub.
Phang Nga and Phuket have high potential to attract quality investors and tourists if infrastructure and natural resources are systematically developed and managed as they are crucial gateways to Thailand and Asean on the Andaman coast, he said, adding investing in the right direction will yield multiplier effect on both the economy and the quality of life of the local population.
Senator Chib Chitniyom, the fifth vice chairman of this committee, proposed upgrading tourism in the three Andaman provinces to world-class standard, citing helicopter and yacht tours at China’s Hainan Island as an example of attracting high-end tourists.
He also pointed to Vietnam as a model with Ha Long Bay being a fascinating case study because Vietnam has leveraged its existing natural resources to design a world-class boat tour experience. Even more interesting is the countryside at Ninh Binh province, also known as “Inland Ha Long Bay,” where local boatmen use their feet to row, creating a unique experience that attracts tourists worldwide.
Tourism products must be diverse, adaptable, and competitive, he said citing Sapa, Vietnam, as another example. Sapa uses cable cars to connect mountains, offering tourists access to terraced rice fields, Hmong communities, and even the summit of Fansipan, the highest peak in Indochina at 3,143 metres. This demonstrates the creation of new products from existing resources.
“Our Andaman Sea is equally beautiful, but the question is, do we dare to design experiences that will draw tourists to us? We need to rethink what premium tourism is and design experiences that our competitors in the region can’t offer,” he said.
Krabi, Phang Nga, and Phuket should be combined into a single tourism cluster to manage resources and promote marketing collaboratively and uniformly with the goal of turning these three provinces into Asean’s central hub built on a solid sustainable foundation not just short-term development meant for numbers, but growth that truly benefits the local people, he added.
All information and observations from this field trip will be compiled and synthesised into policy recommendations to be presented to the Senate and the government, he mentioned.
Meanwhile, Assoc. Prof. Lae Dilokwittayarat, also a member of this committee, raised a critical question: if the Andaman region focuses on tourism as the core of its economy, can the education system in the area truly produce personnel who meet the needs of the local labour market?
He pointed out that Thailand produces graduates of the same type nationwide, without considering the context and specific needs of each area. This results in a lack of workers with skills that the private sector in tourist areas like the Andaman provinces requires.
CAPTIONS:
Top – Beautiful Phi Phi island. Photo – Evan Krause on Unsplash
First insert – Senate foreign affairs committee holding a meeting on developing Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi into a single hub. Photo – Naewna
Second insert – Phuket’s Bangla road. Photo by Nicolas Lannuzel
Front Page – Sunset at Phang Nga. Photo – TAT
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