One of the First Americans to Visit Thailand in Over a Year With a Valid Vaccination - How Was It?
There were still vestiges of the island's once-thriving tin industry in the form of small fishing towns and mangrove forests on Phuket less than 60 years ago. Tourist hordes have flocked to flagle the palm tree-lined streets and white-sand beaches in recent years to bask in the tropical heat while sipping drinks and taking boat cruises to nearby islands.
As a result of the epidemic, life slowed down significantly, and in some respects, Phuket had a renaissance, rediscovering a slower pace of life that had before seemed unattainable. When Phuket reopened to visitors under the Phuket Sandbox initiative, the island quickly became a haven for those interested in farm-to-table, zero-waste cuisine, secluded beaches, and hipster coffee shops. There are now more long-tail boats than people on the island's beaches, which are pounded by waves of sea glass hue. From my last visit in December 2019, before the global COVID-19 epidemic prevented travel, to the present day is like night and day. Then, we had done what everyone else did and chartered a boat to see Phang Nga Bay's spectacular rock formations. As one of the first vaccinated Americans to visit Phuket in over a year, I found a relaxed and varied island where avant-garde dinner performances, great food, inviting local villages and markets, and a cutting-edge emphasis on sustainability thrive in the absence of tourists.
Daniel Fraser, co-founder and CEO of Southeast Asian travel business Smiling Albino, told me at the conclusion of my 10-day journey, "It's calmer than when I visited in '95, so I'd say it's how it was 30 years ago." "If you're planning a trip to this area in the next six to eight months, you'll get to enjoy all the benefits of this destination without having to compete with as many tourists as there were two years ago. One of the world's greatest islands is opening its doors to you."
More than 11,000 tourists have visited Phuket since it reopened to healthy visitors on July 1. But it is a long cry from the more than 13,000 daily arrivals in Phuket in July of this year.
One day, Phuket will once again be the center of attention it once was. Soon enough, the tourists and cruise ship guests will return, and the laid-back beach town atmosphere will be a distant memory. However, Fraser assured me that he does not anticipate this updated Phuket to disappear very soon.
"Due to the epidemic, Phuket has been able to show more of its true colors... It's given Phuket, a hitherto unknown destination, a chance to shine and prove that "It may always be like this." "As he put it. "It will never be as popular as the islands and beaches, or the exciting nightlife, in my opinion. In any case, it will be included into the island's overall narrative in the future."