Phuket’s rapid resurgence as one of Asia’s top tourist destinations has delivered record-breaking visitor numbers but also exposed deep cracks in the island’s infrastructure. With arrivals already surpassing pre-pandemic levels, business leaders are warning that without urgent state support, Phuket risks undermining both its residents’ quality of life and its long-term tourism competitiveness.
In the first half of 2025, international arrivals at Phuket airport exceeded figures from both 2019 and 2024, according to the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA). The island’s appeal has proved resilient, with Russian visitors topping the arrivals chart, followed by Chinese and Indian travelers. Although Chinese arrivals nationwide have fallen by more than a third, Phuket has benefited from changing visitor behavior: Chinese tourists are staying longer, with average stays nearly tripling from 2.5 to seven nights, and spending significantly more, according to data from Alipay and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Indian travelers have partly filled the gap, while Australians, Middle Easterners, and regional Asian tourists now anchor the island’s low season, creating a steadier flow of arrivals. European visitors are also increasing outside their traditional peak months, pointing to a broader diversification of source markets. The PTA expects total arrivals in 2025 to exceed both pre-pandemic highs and last year’s performance.
Infrastructure at a Breaking Point
Yet this success comes with costs. Phuket’s infrastructure—designed for a much smaller population and visitor base—is struggling under the weight of sustained growth. The island’s only road link to the mainland, Highway 402, is chronically congested. The airport, with just one runway capable of handling about 20 flights an hour, now operates over 250 flights per day in low season and upwards of 300 in peak months, far beyond its efficient threshold.
Waste management is equally strained. Daily waste generation averages 1,200 tonnes, but the island’s incinerator processes only 700 tonnes. The overflow is sent to landfills, raising environmental risks. A new incinerator is under construction, but it is sized only to meet today’s levels, leaving no buffer for future growth. Water supply and wastewater treatment are also under pressure, particularly during the summer months when demand spikes.
Thaneth Tantipiriyakij, president of the PTA, has framed infrastructure upgrades not as a matter of convenience but as a strategic necessity. “If we could only choose one urgent improvement, it would be the roads,” he said, stressing that traffic congestion burdens both residents and travelers, eroding the island’s appeal. He emphasized that tourism planning must integrate quality-of-life considerations for locals if Phuket is to sustain its growth trajectory.
Strategic Implications
The warning from Phuket reflects a broader challenge for Thailand: how to balance the economic gains of tourism with the infrastructure and environmental pressures it creates. With tourism contributing roughly 20% of Thailand’s GDP, the stakes are high. If congestion, waste, and resource shortages persist, they risk denting the island’s reputation and pushing high-value travelers toward competitors such as Bali, the Maldives, or emerging Southeast Asian beach destinations.
For policymakers, the choice is stark. Investment in transport, utilities, and waste management would safeguard Phuket’s position as a global tourism hub. Neglect could turn growth into a liability, triggering resident discontent, environmental degradation, and a less competitive tourism offering.
Phuket’s call for urgent state support is more than a local plea—it is a test case for Thailand’s broader tourism strategy. If the government responds with timely infrastructure investments, the island could strengthen its appeal as a premium destination capable of sustaining higher-spending visitors. If not, the cracks already showing in roads, airports, and landfills may widen into long-term structural weaknesses.
The message from Phuket’s business leaders is clear: success brings its own risks. Without decisive action, the very boom that has propelled the island’s recovery could sow the seeds of its decline.