The prime minister’s announcement that Phuket is to be upgraded to a “premium” tourist appears to downgrade Pattaya in her personal league table. The claim seems to rest on hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists heading directly to Phuket, rather than any other city, together with add-on features such as major festivals and projects funded by the private sector.
She has instructed Phuket agencies to find ways to deal with traffic congestion, garbage problems and criminal gangs. A campaign should be started to encourage the locals to sort and recycle garbage, not to mention promoting infrastructure and promoting sustainable tourism. The president of the Phuket tourism association is understandably delighted. Yet Pattaya surely has all the above features being used to justify a meaningless label on Phuket.
The term ”premium” does not imply any formal recognition or status and is a widely abused term. There was delight in Pattaya in 2018 when the deputy leader of the Democrats, Korn Chatikavanij, said he wanted Pattaya to be a “premium” resort. However, his stated reason was to support the Democrat Pattaya candidates in a forthcoming election. Then deputy prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Thailand should no longer promote cheap tourism, preferring “premium” high spenders.
So Pattaya should not be distressed by her exclusion from the latest honorary label. The city can certainly compete with any Thai city for the crowds, the arrests and the number of weekend festivals as well as the environmental problems relating to traffic and waste disposal. The term “premium” should be permanently abandoned. Or left to the Thai Privilege Card to announce yet another upgrade to its complex visa menu. Or to Walls ice cream to promote its latest flavour.
