Phuket tourism remains buoyant

"The overall picture remains bright particularly during the high season, when the number of European travellers will come here and then head to neighbouring provinces like Krabi and Phang Nga," said Somboon Jirayus, former president of Phuket Tourist Association.

He also said that flows of Asian tourists have also remained unchanged.

Still, he said that hotel room rates have remaiend quite stable in the past 1-2 years mainly because of the crisis in Europe as well as an increase in supplies. He noted that new promotions will be required to draw tourists. 

Phuket has been a popular destiny to western European tourists. In the past few years, it appeals to tourists from China and Russia. The number of tourists from India, South Africa and the Middle East is also on the rise. 

Joining the Thai delegation to World Travel Mart 2013 in London, early November, he said that European tour agents are more concerned with the Public Health Ministry's health-insurance proposal than protests in Bangkok. He said that despite warning against travelling to Thailand by some countries, these agents are not quite concerned as long as there is no violence.

Rather, they were concerned with the proposed insurance, as this would duplicate what travellers have been paying for. "I told them that it's still a plan," Somboon said.

The agents also asked about new tourist attractions in Phuket, following bad media reports on beach conditions and mistreats to European tourists.