For Immediate Release 25 July, 2019
AS THAILAND’S TOURISM TRAJECTORY DECLINES, PHUKET FIGHTS BACK ON SUSTAINABILITY PLATFORM AT PHIST 2019
Over 1,000 participants expected at Southeast Asia’s largest sustainability forum as Phuket’s tourism explosion mirrors the challenges of other islands in the region
PHUKET, THAILAND: Phuket is preparing to drive forward the sustainability agenda as it readies to host PHIST 2019, the annual event that unites the travel industry in the fight against environmental degradation in Southeast Asia’s idyllic island destinations.
Organised by the Phuket Hotels Association, C9 Hotelworks and Greenview, PHIST (Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism) 2019 is a free-to-attend one-day conference that takes place on Thursday 23rd September 2019 at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa. The important event will gather approximately 1,000 delegates, including more than 70 of Phuket’s leading hotels, retailers and other key stakeholders from across the region, to discuss critical environmental issues and devise ways of tackling them head-on.
This year, a key focus will be on the decline of visitor arrivals to Phuket, and how sustainable tourism can help lead the recovery. PHIST 2019 will be attended by Kanokkrittika Kritwutthikorn, the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Director for Phuket, who will provide an overview of how the TAT is aiming to ensure the island’s long-term future by targeting more high-end, eco-conscious travellers.
“The recent drop in arrivals to Phuket shows just how damaging the boom and bust of mass tourism can be. More than 15,000 new hotel rooms are set to enter the market over the next five years,
