PHUKET STARTS OVER

Boats await to explore Phang Nga Bay islands

Since July 1st, Asia’s first border re-opening to international travellers will be on Thailand’s island of Phuket, where vaccinated travellers will be welcomed, finally. Granted the conditions require you to spend a full 14 days on the island IF you want to explore other areas of Thailand so, at this stage, not worth it for most North American travellers as Caribbean islands are much closer but it’s a step in the right direction.   Other islands in the gulf will also open in July and allow intra-travel. This is called the “sand box” approach, using an island with modern infrastructure, international airport and wide choice of hotels where WHO health and sanitation protocols will be strictly enforced at each of the approved SHA+ hotels and where 70% of local population has been fully vaccinated. Thankfully, my three preferred hotels on the island are on the approved list. 

I spent quite a bit of time exploring the island over the years and the history of Phuket is one that few are aware of. Located on trading routes between India and China, Phuket was subjected to foreign influences long before many other parts of Thailand. Ships coming from China and South East Asia would anchor in the safe harbours of Phuket and wait for the northeast monsoon winds which would allow them to proceed to India. The coastal areas were inhabited by Chao Leh, sea-gypsies who made their living through piracy and fishing for pearls.Phuket is first mentioned as a major source of tin in the sixteenth century when the island became an important source of revenue for the Thai kingdom as well as an important trading post. It was also during this period that the first Europeans arrived on Phuket. Due to Phuket’s abundant supply of tin and its importance as a trading port, the island’s economy continued to prosper. The British secured a tin mining concession and in fact, nearly claimed Phuket as part of the British Empire, opting instead for Penang in Malaysia, due to its safer harbour. Phuket’s streets were lined with handsome buildings constructed in the Sino-Portuguese style by the tin-barons, many of which can still be seen in older quarters of the town. The tin mining generated an economic opportunity on the island that drew people from across Thailand and from neighbouring Malaysia, Indonesia, and Myanmar and this cultural fusion, spread across the centuries, made Phuket unlike any other place in Thailand.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT:

Phuket is both an island and a province and is the largest island in Thailand, being just under the size of Singapore. It stretches just over 222 sq. miles (576 sq. km)

BEST MONTH TO VISIT:

The best time to visit Phuket is between November and April when weather conditions are ideal for beach activities, such as swimming and boating. Between May and October is the monsoon season

Longitude 80 is now able to book Covid safe selected hotels and private pool villas along with vaccinated drivers and local guides during your stay. Other popular connections along with Phuket are Sri Lanka and Maldives. Contact us if you want to start planning your Thailand adventure for 2022 or 2023.

By the end of the beginning of the twentieth century tin mining was replaced by the demand for rubber and large areas of the island’s interior were cleared to make way for rubber plantations, irreparably altering the landscape of the island. Phuket remained as a remote quiet island until tourism arrived on the island in the 1970s with the first beach bungalows at Patong beach. During this time Phuket and other islands in the Andaman Sea and the gulf became a haven for backpackers. Phuket’s tropical beaches and clear warm waters attracted travellers from all over the world to the island. This was facilitated by the building of an international airport in the mid-1970s. Up until the start of the pandemic,  tourism was by far the island’s biggest industry with over 3 million tourists visiting the island annually, making Phuket one of the most popular travel destinations in South-East Asia. Obviously with Covid, everything changed. With very few domestic tourists, the island’s local population suffered tremendously. The Thai authorities have now reopened the island to international tourists. This is called the “sand box” system where countries open small geographically isolated areas (islands are a good example) where the local population has been vaccinated to a level of 70-80%, an international airport can service direct flights from overseas and a selected group of hotels are certified to deliver clean environments.

Private villas are a popular option in Phuket offering spectacular views of the island’s coastline.