October 16, 2010
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2 - 7 NOVEMBER 2010 ANDAMAN Edition Volume 17 Issue 42 October 16 - 22, 2010 Daily news at www.phuketgazette.net 25 Baht Outbound Airport under strain tourism Record number of passengers to use Phuket Airport this year flying high By Janpen Upatising OUTBOUND tour operators na- tionwide expect the strong baht THE number of passengers arriv- to cause a 13% increase in the ing at or departing the island from number of Thais traveling Phuket International Airport over abroad this year. the past 12 months has cracked Charoen Wangananont, the airport’s official capacity of 6.5 president of the Thai Travel million – and the coming year is Agents Association (TTAA), expected to see up to a million said up to 5.4 million Thais more. were expected to go abroad in “From the statistics we have the coming 12 months. collected [to September 30], more The figure is half a million than 6.7 million passengers trav- more than last year and similar eled through Phuket Airport this to the years before the political past year,” Phuket International crisis. About 60% will be tour- Airport Director Prathuang Sorn- ists and the rest will be students kham told the Gazette. and businesspeople. “This high figure already sur- Last month about 70,000 passes current capacity and the Thais holidayed abroad. The airport’s ability to support those TTAA expects this to rise to passengers. I think by the end of 100,000 this month, as many this [coming] year, the number of families will go on trips during passengers will reach 7.5 million,” the school break. Passengers on Qatar Airlines inaugural flight to Phuket arrive at the airport on October 12. Photo: Apinun Saitong he added. The exodus will continue in Preparations are underway for the coming three to four months passenger capacity to 12.5 million years to complete, will be much the festive month of December, what is expected to be a bumper in order to better accommodate the by 2013. The upgrade is projected welcome. With the tourism high it says. high season, said Mr Prathuang. expected high number of passen- to meet passenger demand until season fast approaching, airlines About 80% will stay in Asian “Two hundred more airport trol- gers,” he added. 2020. “After the planning and de- have launched new and additional countries, particularly Singa- leys will be provided and Terminal Terminal 2 will also be expanded sign phase stage, a construction flights to Phuket. pore, China, Japan and South 2 [for domestic flights] will be to include more counters for company will be selected and The most recent was Qatar Air- Korea. Some 20% will head to improved, with added seating for AirAsia check-ins and more room hired by the end of December,” ways’ new flight from Doha to medium- and long-haul destina- passengers waiting to board for departing passengers. said Mr Prathuang. Phuket, via Kuala Lumpur. The tions including Australia, New planes,” he said. “Later, all AirAsia operations A project designer was expected inaugural flight landed in Phuket Zealand and Europe. “Other airport facilities such as will move to Terminal 2,” he said. to be appointed within days of this on October 12. This high season, demand on the air conditioners, escalators, The Terminal 2 renovations are article going to press, he said. The service offers three round- long-haul routes is up by 17% elevators and especially the going ahead separately from the Construction is expected to be- trip flights a week, served by a because of the favorable ex- restrooms are also scheduled to huge 5.8-billion-baht airport up- gin in January, he added. Boeing 777 configured to carry change rates. undergo major improvements over grade in process that aims to boost The upgrade, to take three more than 300 passengers per trip. Patong tunnel underway by 2013: Pian PATONG Mayor Pian Keesin took a stand sary to support tourism development. ernment interest in issues affecting the of confidence on October 6, taking to the “Patong people rely on tourism. Sustain- town, he said. stage and telling a crowd of about 400 able tourism development for me means In his opinion, the villagers did it because people that he expected work on the Patong ensuring the safety of both tourists and in- they misunderstood that the land expropria- Tunnel to be underway by 2013. vestors. tion would be unfair for them. “About 10 The mayor made plain his view at his “The tunnel will help prevent accidents, landowners, of which six are local Patong “Patong Future Plan” public address rally save lives and save fuel costs. Kathu Police residents, will be affected. They will get a at Patong Sports Field. The event was held recently told me seven people have died this very fair rate.” to explain his plans for easing the develop- year while coming over Patong Hill,” he said. About 300 of the 400-strong crowd at mental ails currently plaguing the town, The Ban Mon villagers filing a formal the rally were members of the Patong En- which has undergone a breakneck pace of complaint over the tunnel project to the tertainment Business Association and Patong development in recent years. governor’s office last month was “good for Taxi Federation. There were no Ban Mon Mayor Pian said the tunnel was neces- Patong” in that it would increase the gov- villagers present. – Pimwara Choksakulpan Patong Mayor Pian Keesin. 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Climate change experts warn ponder their future Phuket has 20 years before it’s too late. Page 5 By Janpen Upatising RETURNING from Bangkok with Follow that fire truck national awards for excellence in Martha arrives in Phuket hand, some of Phuket’s top tour guides have expressed concern in global fight against that the changing nature of the lung cancer. Page 8 tourism industry might make their jobs obsolete in the future. Kittitat Chookaew was among On the Menu eight Phuket-based guides who Mom Tri’s Kitchen new received the award, which recog- nizes outstanding talent in chosen lower level is truly a cut areas of expertise and contribu- above. Page 13 tions to tourism in Thailand. Mr Kittitat, who received his Construction award for his expertise in Italian, said, “Italian tourists used to come New Kajonkiet campus in groups of elderly people who now rising in Kathu. could not speak English well. They Page 23 needed our help. But younger Ital- ians are more self-reliant, thus the Top guides Thitinan Poolsanguran, Sopa Pootnak and Taweep Senasung. Classifieds need for guides is declining even though the number of tourists in hiring guides. Already, we are days of their stay, she explained. Everything you need at prices you keeps rising,” he said. seeing less demand for tour However, Mr Kittitat said the can afford, from jobs to homes. Thitinan Poolsanguran, who guides,” she said. falling demand for guides was not received her award for her exper- Japanese tourists generally all bad. “There is a chance that Pages 28-38 tise in Japanese, agrees. spend four days and three nights tour guides will survive since the Sport “Some young Japanese travel- in Phuket, she explained. Internet cannot answer everything FIVB in Phuket nets ers know beforehand where they Guides pick them up at Phuket tourists want to know,” he said. want to visit by searching online. Airport and have only 20-50 min- “As tour guides, we cannot just Brazilians. Ironman They even book tour packages utes while en route to their hotels try to sell them tour packages. We world champ to ride in from Japan on their own. And with to develop a rapport with the tour- must explain local things to them, the recession, they want to pay ists and offer them optional tour such as how to keep safe during Phuket. Pages 39-40 cheap prices and are not interested packages for the second and third their stay here,” he added. Farewell Nick Jackson Man shot dead after pub row FRIENDS and family attended the A MAN was gunned down out- final service for Nick Jackson at side a bar in Chalong early Octo- the temple across from Loma ber 6 in what police believe to be Park in Patong on October 10. retaliation for an argument the man Mr Jackson passed away in his had at another bar that evening. sleep on October 1. Chalong Police officers arrived He was well-known for found- at the Say Yes pub on Patak Road ing the popular Katoeys R Us bar at about 4:30am October 7 after in Patong, and more recently for receiving a report that a man had his game fishing tours off Phuket.