Phuket is seeing an ever-increasing number of yachts and cruise liners either berthing temporarily at its marinas or offshore, with as many as 159 vessels entering and leaving its waters in 2023, according to statistics released by the Transport Ministry, as reported by The Nation newspaper in an article published April 15, 2024.
The article, entitled ‘Phuket welcoming an increasing number of cruises’, noted the popularity of boat travel has prompted the ministry to order the marine department to accelerate a Public Private Partnership (PPP) project to develop a large port to meet the trend.
“As the Marine Department figures show due to the quarantine restrictions placed on visiting yachts it was very quiet between 2020 and 2022 and then we saw a growth in visiting yachts in 2023 to 148 arrivals and 159 departures in yachts exceeding 24 metres or 80 feet in length entering and exiting Phuket province. And in 2024 we’re getting close to the numbers seen visiting pre-Covid in 2019 of 164 arriving yachts and 173 departing yachts”, reports Asia Pacific Superyachts co-founder Gordon Fernandes, based in Phuket.
“It’s great to see the area bounce back after Covid and also great to see that during the ‘low’ period sea life has been encouraged to recover and we’re now seeing a lot more marine life in the area. There are still tropical islands which are deserted but with Phuket you can also find med style beach clubs catering to the high end guests so all guests can enjoy life cruising in the Andaman Sea, with the improvements in infrastructure we’re only going to see more yachts visit in the future years”, adds Fernandes.
The Nation article reported Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said that to accommodate the expanding number of yachts using services in Thailand, the Marine Department had been tasked with compiling data on supporting tourism activities in Phuket province for visitors arriving by yacht or superyacht. This includes studying the necessity of procedural guidelines and the timeframe for legal permissions in the case of superyacht arrivals. The aim is to expedite the permission process and attract tourists to boost revenue, and added there is also a push to develop a cruise terminal to generate income from government tourism policies.
The port would support routes along coasts, divided into: the Gulf of Thailand coast with routes from the port of origin in Singapore and the port of destination in Hong Kong, stopping in Koh Samui and Laem Chabang; and the Andaman coast with navigation on routes from the port of departure in Singapore with temporary mooring in Phuket and Krabi. The cruise terminal project at Laem Chabang Port and along the Andaman Sea coast is in the feasibility study stage to assess suitability, cost-effectiveness, investment format, and compliance with the Public-Private Joint Investment Act 2019.
The feasibility study for the development of the pier in Koh Samui has been completed, with the project estimated to require an investment of 12.865 billion baht, of which the public sector would contribute 6.201 billion baht. The project will be submitted to the PPP Committee for consideration by the end of June and following cabinet approval, will proceed to the selection of private sector partners phase in October, with the goal of opening for service in 2032, according to the article.