Phuket : 'Non-Legal' Tourism

[Mid]

Shock Phuket Figures Show Extent of 'Non-Legal' Tourism
Chutima Sidasathian and Alan Morison
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

THE SCALE of just one segment of Phuket's lawlessness was revealed today in figures disclosing that more than half of Phuket's accommodation is, in effect, not fully legal.

And the still-growing official Phuket tally of 702 hotels, resorts and guesthouses, comprising 42,684 rooms, demonstrates plainly why the number of tourists to Phuket may be increasing, but there are an even faster-increasing number of establishments squabbling for the extra pie.

The extraordinary total of 51.12 percent - or 429 establishments - that do not have complete legal standing affects the potential tax income that the island hopes to derive to provide such services as lifeguards and the protection of the island's environment from illegal blue pipes running into canals or the Andaman Sea.

How can an island with hopes of establishing and maintaining an international reputation for quality tourism get itself into such a fine mess? That question wasn't asked, or answered today.

But at least the meeting of representatives from Phuket's local authorities, the Hotels Association, Phuket Provincial Hall officials, the Natural Resources and the Environment Department and the Thai Hotels Association clarified the scale of the problem.

Vice Governor Niwit Aroonrat, who chaired the gathering at the Phuket Merlin Hotel in Phuket City, raised the issue of whether there should be an amnesty to regularise the situation. He will head a special committee to investigate the matter further.

Here are the official Provincial Hall figures:

Total Phuket accommodation establishments: 702
Total Phuket number of rooms: 42,684

Total Phuket establishments with all permits: 273 (38.89 percent)
Establishments without permission: 429, 13,712 rooms (51.12 percent)

PHUKET CITY
Total: 310 establishments, 19,099 rooms
With permits: 140, 12,856 rooms
Without permits: 170, 6243 rooms

KATHU, including Patong
Total: 317 establishments, 18,544 rooms
With permits: 88, 11,275 rooms
Without permits: 229, 7269 rooms

THALANG
Total: 75 establishments, 5041 rooms
With permits: 45, 4841 rooms
Without permits: 30, 200 rooms

phuketwan.com

[The Bold Rodney]

How can an island with hopes of establishing and maintaining an international reputation for quality tourism get itself into such a fine mess? That question wasn't asked, or answered today.

Corruption?

[Simon43]

I wonder exactly what they mean by 'permits'. Is that something that is issued by the Hotels Association?

If so, then they have engineered this situation themselves.

When I built/opened a small hotel (10 rooms) in 2006, I obtained the necessary restaurant licence, OrBorTor approvals etc etc.

When I approached the Thai hotels Association to register with them, they refused, saying that the hotel didn't have enough rooms to allow registration.

So we operated the business in full accordance with OrBorTor rules, company tax/employee rules, guest registration with immigration etc, but could never persuade the Hotels Association to accept our registration. I assume this is also the situation with many other small hotels and guesthouses.

Simon

[Nostradamus]

Interesting, I was just looking to buy a couple of hotels in Phuket too.

[Smug Farang Bore]

Interesting, I was just looking to buy a couple of hotels in Phuket too.

Oi..! We were lookin....

[Simon43]

Your missing the hotel license, you need 11 rooms for this, guesthouses etc with less than 11 rooms can never be legal and are subject to extortion.

You mean that there is a real possibility that the someone may threaten the hotel owner and extort money from them? - possibly send some goons to the hotel to rough up the owner, perhaps break their legs, maybe commit some perverted sexual assault on them??

OK by me - my ex runs the business now - who do I give her address and phone number to?

Simon

[dirtydog]

When I approached the Thai hotels Association to register with them, they refused, saying that the hotel didn't have enough rooms to allow registration. So we operated the business in full accordance with OrBorTor rules, company tax/employee rules, guest registration with immigration etc, but could never persuade the Hotels Association to accept our registration. I assume this is also the situation with many other small hotels and guesthouses.

Your missing the hotel license, you need 11 rooms for this, guesthouses etc with less than 11 rooms can never be legal and are subject to extortion.