The Tourism Committee visited Phuket to hear from relevant agencies, requesting amendments to hotel laws, a review of zoning, and addressing disorderly traffic near the airport, with plans to propose government solutions.
On 1 Aug 2026 GMT+7, Lieutenant Colonel Sinthop Kaewpichit, Member of Parliament for Nakhon Pathom from the Kla Party and chair of the Parliamentary Tourism Committee, along with committee members, conducted a field study at Phuket International Airport and the Phuket Provincial Hall. They examined tourism management in the province. Despite a slight slowdown in flights and passengers in 2026 due to global conditions and some airlines adjusting routes, the airport is moving forward with Phase 2 development plans to enhance future passenger capacity. This includes upgrading the passenger terminal, automated immigration systems, aircraft parking, connecting infrastructure, and restrooms. The project is expected to be submitted to the Cabinet for consideration within next year.
Lieutenant Colonel Sinthop stated that the field visit revealed several issues, including the facilitation efforts by relevant agencies, organization of areas in front of the passenger terminal, parking, and certain behaviors that negatively affect the province's tourism image. The committee will gather all information and proposals to present to the government and relevant agencies to advocate for legislative solutions.
Phuket province presented three urgent issues to the committee: 1. Pushing for hotel law amendments, since there are about 4,000 hotels but only around 1,000 have proper licenses, with the remainder limited by building and land use laws, causing the government to lose tax revenue; 2. Proposing a review of service area zoning and promoting improvements in jet ski business regulations, including registration, designated water routes, and GPS monitoring for control; and 3. Reporting progress on addressing traffic problems near the airport and other congested points, which still face regulatory and budgetary constraints.