Destinations known | After Maya Bay closure, Thailand approves new Phuket airport for 10 million additional tourists
News of a second airport in the Thai hot spot might be welcomed by tourists. However, environmentalists and overwrought destinations are likely to be less than enthusiastic
How, then, do officials in Thailand hope to combat the problem of overtourism led by a sharp increase in the number of Chinese travellers? By investing in infrastructure to facilitate yet more arrivals, of course.
Airports of Thailand, which became the world’s most valuable airport services company earlier this year, recently approved second airports for Chiang Mai and Phuket, according to an article in the Bangkok Post on May 25. With a combined budget of 120 billion baht (US$3.7 billion), construction on both is expected to begin next year, with completion slated for no later than 2025.
Any one of the 3.5 million passengers who passed through immigration at Phuket International Airport in the first four months of this year might welcome the news. That figure represented a not insignificant 19 per cent rise on the same period in 2017, according to a report by hospitality consulting firm C9 Hotelworks. But Phi Phi Leh, home to Maya Bay, Koh Racha Yai and Koh Khai Nok – all favourite destinations for Chinese tour groups and individuals from Phuket – may be less accommodating to an additional 10 million visitors a year.
The economic rewards for such investments are obvious – the tourism industry accounted for 9.2 per cent of Thailand’s GDP in 2016, a contribution that is expected to grow to 14.3 per cent by 2027, as detailed in a report by the World Travel & Tourism Council. However, even high-ranking officials have expressed concerns over the country’s aggressive approach to tourism.