Phuket Province

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Phuket

ภูเก็ต
Province

Phuket viewpoint

Flag

Seal
 Map of Thailand highlighting Phuket Province
Country Thailand
Capital Phuket (city)
Government
Pakpong Thawiphat
 • Governor
(Since 1 Oct 2018)[1]
Area
[2]

 • Total 543 km2 (210 sq mi)

Area rank Ranked 76th
Population
 (2019)[3]
 • Total 416,582
 • Rank Ranked 63rd
 • Density 755/km2 (1,960/sq mi)
 • Density rank Ranked 4th
Human Achievement Index
[4]

0.6885 "high"
 • HAI (2017)
Ranked 1st
Time zone UTC+7 (ICT)
Postal code 83xxx
Calling code 076
 ISO 3166 code TH-83
Website www.phuket.go.th

Phuket (/ˌpuːˈkɛt/; Thai: ภูเก็ต, [pʰūː.kèt] ( listen), Malay: Talang or Tanjung Salang) is one of
the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's
largest island, and another 32 smaller islands off its coast.[5] It lies off the west coast of Thailand
in the Andaman Sea. Phuket Island is connected by the Sarasin Bridge to Phang Nga Province to
the north. The next nearest province is Krabi, to the east across Phang Nga Bay

Phuket Province has an area of 576 square kilometres (222 sq mi), somewhat less than that of
Singapore, and is the second-smallest province of Thailand. The island was on one of the major
trading routes between India and China, and was frequently mentioned in foreign ships' logs of
Portuguese, French, Dutch, and English traders, but was never colonised by a European power. It
formerly derived its wealth from tin and rubber and now from tourism.

Contents
 1 Toponymy
 2 Geography
 3 Climate
 4 History
o 4.1 16th-18th century: European contact
 4.1.1 1785: Burmese invasion
o 4.2 19th–20th centuries
o 4.3 21st century
 4.3.1 2004 tsunami
 5 Demographics
 6 Administrative divisions
o 6.1 Provincial government
o 6.2 Local government
 7 Economy
o 7.1 Transportation
 8 Health
 9 Human achievement index 2017
 10 Sport
 11 Attractions
 12 Local culture
 13 Twin towns and sister cities
 14 Gallery
 15 Notes
 16 References
 17 External links
Toponymy
There are several possible derivations of the relatively recent name "Phuket" (of which the
digraph ph represents an aspirated p). One theory is it is derived from the word Bukit (Jawi:
‫ )بوكيت‬in Malay which means "hill", as this is what the island appears like from a distance.

Phuket was formerly known as Thalang (ถลาง Tha-Laang), derived from the old Malay
"telong" (Jawi: ‫ )تلوڠ‬which means "cape". The northern district of the province, which was the
location of the old capital, still uses this name. In Western sources and navigation charts, it was
known as Junk Ceylon or Junkceylon (a corruption of the Malay Tanjung Salang, i.e., "Cape
Salang").[6]:179

Geography

Patong Beach is the most popular and well-developed beach on Phuket Island
Phuket
 Map of Phuket (beaches in brown)
Geography
Location Andaman Sea
Coordinates 7°53′24″N 98°23′54″E
Area 576 km2 (222 sq mi)
Length 50 km (31 mi)
Width 20 km (12 mi)
Highest elevation 529 m (1,736 ft)
Highest point Khao Mai Thao Sip Song
Administration
Thailand
Demographics
Population 386,605 (2015)
Pop. density 1,042/km2 (2,699/sq mi)

Phuket is the largest island in Thailand. It is in the Andaman Sea in southern Thailand. The
island is mostly mountainous with a mountain range in the west of the island from the north to
the south. The mountains of Phuket form the southern end of the Phuket mountain range, which
ranges for 440 kilometres (270 mi) from the Kra Isthmus.

Although some recent geographical works refer to the sections of the Tenasserim Hills in the
isthmus as the "Phuket Range", these names are not found in classical geographic sources.
Besides, the name Phuket is relatively recent having previously been named Jung Ceylon and
Thalang. The highest elevation of the island is usually regarded as Khao Mai Thao Sip Song
(Twelve Canes), at 529 metres (1,736 ft) above sea level. However, it has been reported by
barometric pressure readings that there is an even higher elevation (with no apparent name), of
542 meters above sea level, in the Kamala hills behind Kathu waterfall.

Its population was 249,446 in 2000, rising to 525,709 in the 2010 decennial census,[7] the highest
growth rate of all provinces nationwide at 7.4 percent annually. Some 600,000 people reside on
Phuket currently,[8] among them migrants, international ex-pats, Thais registered in other
provinces, and locals. The registered population, however, includes only Thais who are
registered in a "tabien baan" or house registration book, which most are not, and the end of 2012
was 360,905 persons.[9]

Jellyfish at Phuket

Phuket is approximately 863 kilometres (536 mi) south of Bangkok and covers an area of 543
square kilometres (210 sq mi) excluding small islets. It is estimated that Phuket would have a
total area of approximately 576 square kilometres (222 sq mi) if all its outlying islands were
included. Other islands are: Ko Lone 4.77 square kilometres (1.84 sq mi), Ko Maprao 3.7 square
kilometres (1.4 sq mi), Ko Naka Yai 2.08 square kilometres (0.80 sq mi), Ko Racha Noi 3.06
square kilometres (1.18 sq mi), Ko Racha Yai 4.5 square kilometres (1.7 sq mi), and the second
biggest, Ko Sire 8.8 square kilometres (3.4 sq mi).

The island's length, from north to south, is 48 kilometres (30 mi) and its width is 21 kilometres
(13 mi).[10]

Seventy percent of Phuket's area is covered with mountains which stretch from north to south.
The remaining 30 percent are plains in the central and eastern parts of the island. It has a total of
nine brooks and creeks but does not have any major rivers.
Bryde's whale swims off the Islands

Small crab on the sand beach at Phuket

Forest, rubber, and palm oil plantations cover 60 percent of the island.[citation needed] The west coast
has several sandy beaches. The east coast beaches are more often muddy. Near the southernmost
point is Laem Phromthep (Thai: แหลมพรหมเทพ)("Brahma's Cape"), a popular viewpoint. In the
mountainous north of the island is the Khao Phra Thaeo No-Hunting Area, protecting more than
20 km² of the rainforest. The three highest peaks of this reserve are the Khao Prathiu (384 metres
(1,260 ft)), Khao Bang Pae 388 metres (1,273 ft), and Khao Phara 422 metres (1,385 ft). The
Sirinat National Park on the northwest coast was established in 1981 to protect an area of 90
square kilometres (35 sq mi) (68 kilometres (42 mi) marine area), including the Nai Yang Beach
where sea turtles lay their eggs.[11]

The most popular (and overcrowded) tourist area on Phuket is Patong Beach on the central west
coast, perhaps owing to the easy access to its wide and long beach. Most of Phuket's nightlife
and its shopping is in Patong, and the area has become increasingly developed. Patong means
"the forest filled with banana leaves" in Thai. South of Patong lie Karon Beach, Kata Beach,
Kata Noi Beach, and around the southern tip of the island, Nai Han Beach and Rawai. To the
north of Patong are Kamala Beach, Surin Beach, and Bang Tao Beach. These areas are generally
much less developed than Patong. To the southeast is Bon Island and to the south are several
coral islands. The Similan Islands lie to the northwest and the Phi Phi Islands which are part of
Krabi Province, to the southeast.

Climate
Under the Köppen climate classification, Phuket features a tropical monsoon climate (Am). Due
to its proximity to the equator, in the year, there is a little variation in temperatures. The city has
an average annual high of 32 °C (90 °F) and an annual low of 25 °C (77 °F). Phuket has a dry
season that runs from December to March and a wet season that covers the other nine months.
However, like many cities that feature a tropical monsoon climate, Phuket sees some
precipitation even during its dry season. Phuket averages roughly 2,200 millimetres (87 in) of
rain.

Climate data for Phuket (Mueang Phuket District) (1981–2010)

Climate data for Phuket (Phuket International Airport) (1981–2010)

History

French ambassador Chevalier de Chaumont with King Narai

16th-18th century: European contact

The Portuguese explorer Fernão Mendes Pinto arrived in Siam in 1545. His accounts of the
country go beyond Ayutthaya and include a reasonably detailed account of ports in the south of
the Kingdom as well. Pinto was one of the first European explorers to detail Phuket in his travel
accounts. He referred to the island as "Junk Ceylon", a name the Portuguese used for Phuket
Island in their maps, mentioning the name seven times in his accounts. Pinto said that Junk
Ceylon was a destination port where trading vessels made regular stops for supplies and
provisions. However, during the mid-16th century, the island was in decline due to pirates and
often rough and unpredictable seas, which deterred merchant vessels from visiting the island.
Pinto mentioned several other notable port cities in his accounts, including Patani and Ligor,
which is modern-day Nakhon Si Thamarat.[14]

In the 17th century, the Dutch, English and, after the 1680s, the French, competed for the
opportunity to trade with Junk Ceylon, which was a rich source of tin. In September 1680, a ship
of the French East India Company visited the island and left with a full cargo of tin.[15]

A year or two later, the Siamese King Narai, seeking to reduce Dutch and English influence,
named as governor a French medical missionary, Brother René Charbonneau, a member of the
Siam mission of the Société des Missions Étrangères. Charbonneau remained as governor until
1685.[16]

Stately Sino-Portuguese mansion in Phuket Town

In 1685, King Narai confirmed the French tin monopoly in Phuket to their ambassador, the
Chevalier de Chaumont.[6]:179 Chaumont's former maître d'hôtel, Sieur de Billy, was named
governor of the island.[6]:50 However, the French were expelled from Siam after the 1688 Siamese
revolution. On 10 April 1689, Desfarges led an expedition to re-capture Thalang to restore
French control in Siam.[17] His occupation of the island led to nothing, and Desfarges returned to
Puducherry in January 1690.[6]:185

1785: Burmese invasion

Map showing "Nine Armies' Wars" Burmese invasion routes and defensive points of Siamese
side in the Thai language

Before the Burmese attacked Thalang in 1785 during the "Nine Armies' Wars", Francis Light, a
British East India Company captain (and later founder of Penang), who had been based on the
island for some years, notified the local administration that he had observed Burmese forces
preparing to attack.[18] The island's military governor had just died, so the Burmese thought that it
could be easily seized. Than Phu Ying Chan, the widow of the recently deceased governor, and
her sister Mook (คุณมุก) ordered the women of the island to dress as soldiers and take positions
on the Thalang city walls. The Burmese called off their attack due to the perceived strength of
the defences. Short of food, they retreated. The two women became local heroines. They
received the honorary titles, Thao Thep Kasatri and Thao Sri Sunthon, from King Rama I.[5]After
a month-long siege of the capital city, the Burmese were forced to retreat on 13 March 1785. The
women became local heroines, receiving the royal titles Thao Thep Kasattri and Thao Si Sunthon
from a grateful King Rama I.
The seal of Phuket is a depiction of the Two Heroines Monument along Highway 402 in Phuket.
This commemorates the sisters [19] The seal is a circle surrounded by a kranok pattern[20] and has
been used since 1985.

19th–20th centuries

During the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) from 1 October 1868 to 23 October 1910,
Phuket became the administrative centre of the tin-producing southern provinces. His reign was
characterized by the modernization of Siam, governmental and social reforms, and territorial
concessions to the British and French. As Siam was threatened by Western expansionism,
Chulalongkorn managed to save Siam from colonization.

In 1933 Monthon Phuket (มณฑลภูเก็ต) was dissolved and Phuket became a province.[21]

21st century

2004 tsunami

Main article: 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake

Tsunami wave striking the Phuket coast, December 2004

On 26 December 2004, Phuket and other nearby areas on Thailand's west coast suffered damage
when they were struck by a tsunami caused by the Indian Ocean earthquake. The waves
destroyed several highly populated areas in the region, killing up to 5,300 people in Thailand,
and two hundred thousand more throughout the Asian region.[22] Some 250 were reported dead in
Phuket, including foreign tourists. Almost all of the major beaches on the west coast of Phuket,
especially Kamala, Patong, Karon, and Kata sustained major damage, with some damage caused
to resorts and villages on the island's southern beaches. Thailand's hardest-hit area was the Takua
Pa District of Phang Nga Province north of Phuket, where a thousand or more Burmese workers
building new beach resorts died.[23][24] In December 2006, Thailand launched the first of 22
tsunami-detection buoys to be positioned around the Indian Ocean as part of a regional warning
system. The satellite-linked deep-sea buoys float 1,000 km (620 mi) offshore, roughly midway
between Thailand and Sri Lanka.[25]

Demographics
View from Krom Luang Chumpon monument

As with most of Thailand, the majority of the population is Buddhist, but there is a significant
number of Muslims (20 per cent) in Phuket, mainly descendants of the island's original sea-
dwelling people. Among the Muslims, many are of Malay descent.[26][27] People of Chinese
ancestry make up an even larger population, many of whom are descendants of the tin miners
who migrated to Phuket during the 19th century.[28] Peranakans, known as "Phuket Babas" in the
local tongue, constitute a fair share of Chinese community members, particularly among those
who have family ties with the Peranakans of Penang and Malacca.[29]

Phuket provincial population in the preliminary count of the 2010 census was counted to be
525,018 people, including some 115,881 expatriates, or 21.1 per cent of the population.
However, it is admitted this is inaccurate since The Phuket Provincial Employment Office
currently records for more than 64,000 Burmese, Lao and Cambodian workers legally residing
on the island.[30] The Thai census figure for 2015 shows a population of 386,605 persons.[31]

The number of people on Phuket island swells to over a million during the high season, as
tourists, mainly from Western Europe, China, the United Kingdom, Russia, and the United States
flock to Phuket around Christmas.

Administrative divisions
Map of three districts

Provincial government

Phuket is divided into three districts (amphoe), which are further divided into 17 subdistricts
(tambon), and 103 villages (muban).

1. Mueang Phuket
2. Kathu
3. Thalang

Local government

As of 26 November 2019 there are[32]: one Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation

(ongkan borihan suan changwat) and 12 municipal (thesaban) areas in the province. Phuket has
city (thesaban nakhon) status. Kathu and Patong have town (thesaban mueang) status. Further 9
subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon). The non-municipal areas are administered by 6
Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).[3]

Economy

Ao Por port in Phuket

Andaman Sea

View of Andaman Sea from luxury Pool villa hotel

Tin mining was a major source of income for the island from the 16th century until petering out
in the 20th century. In modern times, Phuket's economy has rested on two pillars: rubber tree
plantations (making Thailand the biggest producer of rubber in the world[33]) and tourism.[34]

Since the 1980s, the sandy beaches on the west coast of the island have been developed as tourist
destinations, with Patong, Karon, and Kata being the most popular. Since the 2004 tsunami, all
damaged buildings and attractions have been restored. Phuket is being intensely developed, with
many new hotels, apartments, and houses under construction.

In July 2005, Phuket was voted one of the world's top five retirement destinations by Fortune
Magazine.[35]

In 2017, Phuket received about 10 million visitors, most of them foreign, with China the leading
contributor. Tourists generated some 385 billion baht in revenues, nearly 14 percent of the 2.77
trillion baht earned by the nation as a whole.[36]

The first half of 2019 saw a dip in the number of tourists visiting Phuket, driving lower hotel
occupancy rates leading to increased price competition. RevPAR (revenue per available room) is
down. A decline in the number of tourists, combined with an oversupply of hotel rooms, is the
root of the problem. Despite falling numbers, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) claims
that tourism revenues have risen by 3.1% in the first half of 2019.

No one seems to know how many hotel rooms Phuket has available. Oxfam says it has 60,000
hotel rooms for its 9.1 million annual visitors.[37]:7 The Bangkok Post in September 2019 reported
that Phuket has 600 hotels with 40,000 rooms.[38]. Three weeks earlier it said that Phuket had
93,941 hotel rooms available, excluding villas and hostels, with an additional 15,000 projected to
become available by 2024.[39]

Transportation

Air

Plane spotting at Mai Khao Beach in Phuket

Main article: Phuket International Airport

Phuket International Airport (HKT) commenced a 5.7 billion baht (US$185.7 million) expansion
in September 2012, scheduled for completion on 14 February 2016. The airport will increase its
annual handling capacity from 6.5 million to 12.5 million passengers, and add a new
international terminal.[40]

Rail

There is currently no rail line to Phuket. Trains run to Surat Thani 230 km away.

City transit

Songthaews are a common mode of transport on Phuket. Phuket's songthaews are larger[citation
needed]
than those found in other areas of Thailand. Songthaews are the cheapest mode of
transportation from town to town. They travel between the town and beaches. There are also
conventional bus services and motorbike taxis. The latter are found in large numbers in the main
town and at Patong Beach. Traditional tuk-tuks have been replaced by small vans, mostly red,
with some being yellow or green. Car taxis in Phuket are quite expensive and charge flat rates
between towns. Privately run buses are available from the airport to Phuket Town and major
beaches. It is often recommended by locals to take the ride-share company, Grab.
Kata Road
Bus

Phuket's Bus Station 2 BKS Terminal is the long-distance arrivals hub for buses to and from
Bangkok and other major Thai cities and provinces. Located four kilometres to the north of
Phuket's town centre and port, the complex is large and modern, linking with transportation by
tuk-tuk, metered taxi, motorcycle taxi, songthaew, or local bus to the island's beaches and
resorts. There are daily scheduled buses from private and government-run companies going to
Phuket from Bangkok's Mo Chit and Southern terminal stations.

Tram

The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) announced in 2018 that bidding to
construct a 60 kilometre-long, 23 station tram network in Phuket will commence in 2020. The 39
billion baht tram is part of the government's Private-Public-Partnership (PPP) plan which ensures
it will be fast-tracked. The planned route stretches from Takua Thung District in Phang Nga
Province to Chalong in Phuket. Phase one will connect Phuket International Airport with
Chalong, about 40 kilometres. It will take three years to complete.[41]

Ferry

There are daily ferry boats that connect Phuket to neighboring islands Phi Phi and Koh Lanta.
Ferries depart daily from Rassada Pier and Tonsai Pier, with service expanding each year.The
average price for a one-way ticket ranges from 300 THB to 1500 THB.[42][43]

Health
6 hospitals exist in Phuket. The main hospital in Phuket operated by the Ministry of Public
Health is Vachira Phuket Hospital, with smaller hospitals at Thalang and Patong. 3 Private
hospitals exist which are Phuket International Hospital, Bangkok Hospital Phuket and Mission
Hospital Phuket.

Human achievement index 2017

Health Education Employment Income

5 4 29 4
Housing Family Transport Participation

65 14 2 71
Province Phuket, with an HAI 2017 value of 0.6885 is "high",
occupies place 1 in the ranking.

Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand has tracked progress
on human development at sub-national level using the Human achievement index (HAI), a
composite index covering all the eight key areas of human development. National Economic and
Social Development Board (NESDB) has taken over this task since 2017.[4]

Rank Classification
  1 - 15 "high"
16 - 30 "somewhat high"
31 - 45 "average"
45 - 60 "somewhat low"
61 - 77 "low"
Map with provinces and HAI 2017 rankings

Sport
Football

Phuket City football club participates in Thai League 3 Lower Region, the third tier of Thai
football league system. The Golden Sloop (Thai:เรือใบสท ี อง) plays their home matches at
[44]
Surakul Stadium.
Attractions
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 Two Heroines Monument (อนุสาวรียว์ รี สตรี), is the monument in Thalang District, a

memorial statue of the heroines Thao Thep Kasattri (Kunying Jan) and Thao Sri Sunthon
(Mook), who rallied islanders in 1785 to repel Burmese invaders. As the island's
governor had just died, the organization of Phuket's defense against the Burmese invasion
of 1785 was conducted by his widow, Thao Thep Kasattri. With her sister's help, they
assembled what forces they had, then disguised local women as male soldiers, a ruse to
swell the ranks of the defenders. After a month's siege, the Burmese invaders became
exhausted and withdrew. King Rama I awarded Kunying Jan with the royal title of Thao
Thep Kasattri.[45]
 Thalang National Museum (พิพธิ ภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ ถลาง) is near the Two Heroines
Monument. In 1985, on the 200th anniversary of the Thalang War, the Thalang National
Museum was established. The museum contains a permanent exhibition of life in old
Phuket, ancient artifacts, remains discovered on the coast, and materials used during war
with Burma.[46]
 Hat Karon (หาดกะรน) is the second largest of Phuket's tourist beaches, approximately
20 kilometres (12 mi) from town. Large resort complexes line the road behind the
shoreline, but the broad beach itself has no development. The southern point has a coral
reef stretching toward Kata and Poo Island. There is also its smaller sister beach, Karon
Noi.

Karon Beach
  Kamala Beach, Hat Kamala is a large beach approximately 16 km (10 mi) north of
Patong Beach. The beach is undeveloped with coral reefs on the north side and surfing in
the low season. It is a tourist beach in the high season and a sleepy seaside Muslim
village in the low season. There is a market on Wednesday and Friday nights, as well as a
weekly Saturday market.
 View Point (จุดชมวิว) is midway between Nai Harn and Kata Beaches. Kata Noi, Kata,
Karon, and Ko Pu can be viewed from this point.
 Laem Phromthep (แหลมพรหมเทพ) (Phromthep Cape) is a headland forming the
extreme south end of Phuket. "Phrom" is Thai for the Hindu term "Brahma", signifying
purity, and "thep" is Thai for "God". Local villagers used to refer to the cape as "Laem
Chao", or the God's Cape, and it was an easily recognizable landmark for the early
seafarers traveling up the Malay Peninsula.
 Wat Chalong (วัดฉลองหรือวัดไชยธาราราม) is where stands the cast statue of Luang Pho
Cham, who helped the people of Phuket put down the Angyee, or Chinese Coolie
Rebellion, in 1876 during the reign of Rama V. There are also statues of Luang Pho
Chuang, and Luang Pho Cham, abbots of the temple during later times.

Wat Chalong

 Phuket Pearl Farm located about one kilometer offshore from Phuket's east coast close
to coconut island. Phuket Pearl Farm can be accessed only by boat.[47]
 Khao Phra Thaeo Wildlife Conservation Development and Extension Centre (สถานี
พัฒนาและสง่ เสริมการอนุรักษ์ สต ั ว์ป่าเขาพระแทว) is a center for study of the
environment. Its duty is to promote and distribute wildlife within Khao Phra Thaeo
wildlife park. The park is forested and also conserves a number of wild animals that
would otherwise have gone extinct in Phuket.
 The Big Buddha of Phuket, พระพุทธมิง่ มงคลเอกเนาคคีร ี (Phra Phutta Ming
Mongkol Akenakiri or Ming Mongkol Buddha), is on the peak of a mountain near Muang
Phuket, or Phuket town (ภูเก็ต). The image is 45 m in height and covered in white
Burmese marble.
 Phuket Butterfly Garden and Insect World, สวนผีเสอ ื้ และโลกแมลงภูเก็ต is one of
the very few remaining butterfly gardens in Thailand.
 Old Phuket Town in Phuket town, around Thalang, Dibuk, Yaowarat, Phang Nga, and
Krabi Roads. The architecture is Sino-Portuguese-style.
 Phuket Aquarium attracts around 300,000 visitors each year. Established in 1983 as part
of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), it is a research and monitoring station
within the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR).
  Aquaria Phuket opened on August 24, 2019, featuring more than 51,000 aquatic
animals from more than 300 species. The aquarium, with a combined water capacity of
seven million liters, has both saltwater and freshwater animals and is located at the
Central Phuket Floresta shopping complex.[48]

Local culture
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 Thao Thep Krasattri and Thao Si Sunthon Fair (งานท ้าวเทพกระษั ตรี - ท ้าวศรีสน ุ ทร)
is held on March 13 every year to commemorate the two heroines who rallied the
Thalang people to repel Burmese invaders.
 Vegetarian Festival or Nine Emperor gods Festival (Hokkien Chinese language: 九皇
勝會，Kiú-Hông Sēng-Huē or 九皇爺, Kiú-Hông Iâ) Phuket Chinese people Call 食菜
節，Tsia̍h-tshài (เทศกาลกินเจ(กินผัก-เจี๊ ยะฉ่าย)) is held on the first day of the 9th
Chinese lunar month (end-Sep or early-Oct). Phuket islanders of Chinese ancestry
commit themselves to a nine-day vegetarian diet, a form of purification believed to help
make the forthcoming year trouble-free. The festival is marked by several ascetic
displays, including fire-walking and ascending sharp-bladed ladders.[49]
 Ghost Festival or Phóo-tōo Festival (Hokkien Chinese language: 普渡節） Full name is
Û-lân-phûn Sēng-Huē (Hokkien Chinese language: 盂蘭盆勝會） is held on the middle
day of the 7th Chinese lunar month. Intrinsic to the Ghost Festival is ancestor worship.
Activities include preparing food offerings, burning incense, and burning joss paper, a
papier-mâché form of material items such as clothes, gold, and other goods for the
visiting spirits. Elaborate meals (often vegetarian) are served with empty seats for each of
the deceased in the family. Other festivities may include, buying and releasing miniature
paper boats and lanterns on water, which signifies giving direction to lost souls.
 Phuket King's Cup Regatta (งานแข่งเรือใบชงิ ถ ้วยพระราชทาน) is held every
December. The Kata Beach Resort hosts yachtsmen, largely from neighbouring countries
who compete for trophies.[50]
 Laguna Phuket Triathlon (ลากูน่าภูเก็ตไตรกีฬา) is held each December. The triathlon
(a 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) swim, a 55 kilometres (34 mi) bike race and a 12 kilometres
(7.5 mi) run and a 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) fun run) attracts athletes from all over the world.
[51]

 Phuket Travel Fair (เทศกาลเปิ ดฤดูการท่องเทีย ่ วจังหวัดภูเก็ต), starting 1 November, is

usually called the Patong Carnival, from the place where celebrations occur. Colourful
parades, sports events, and a beauty competition for foreign tourists are major activities.
A popular festival, the Patong Carnival opening drew over 30,000 foreign and Thai
tourists.[52]
 Chao Le (Sea Gypsy) Boat Floating Festival (งานประเพณีลอยเรือชาวเล) falls during
the middle of the sixth and eleventh lunar months yearly. The sea gypsy villages at Rawai
and Sapam hold their ceremonies on the 13th; Ko Si-re celebrates on the 14th; and Laem
La (east of the bridge on Phuket's northern tip) on the 15th. Ceremonies, which centre on
 the setting small boats adrift similar to the Thai festival of Loi Krathong, are held at night
and their purpose is to drive away evil and bring good luck.
 Phuket Bike Week is the biggest motorcycle event in Asia. Motorcyclists with their
motorcycles and visitors from many countries join this event in every year. The event
highlights include a motorcycle exhibition, bike parades "Ride for Peace", custom bike
contests, live entertainment, Miss Phuket Bike Week competition, bike accessories and
apparel from local and international venders.[53][54]

Twin towns and sister cities

Phuket Province has a number of sister cities. They are:

Nice, France (1989) Port Blair, India Suining, China

Las Vegas, United (2005)[55] (2016)[58]
States (1997) Hainan, China Macau, China (2018)
Yantai, China (1997) (2005)[56] [59]

Nakhodka, Russia
(2006)[57]