Bangkok: If Phuket is to prosper as a cruise site, and not be forgotten amid a booming regional cruise scene, then it needs to seriously bolster local facilities, a recent fact finding mission by the Tourism Authority of Thailand was told.
The deepsea port on Phuket's east coast at Cape Panwa welcomed around 300,000 cruiseship passengers last year. With improved facilities that number could soar. The port needs to be able to handle two large ships calling at the same time, the board was told, or else Phuket risks losing trade to the likes of Bali, Singapore, Hainan and plenty of other fast-developing cruise sites in the region. [15/01/13]
