phuket could take on HK and Singapore as ict city, says piyanoot

As a member of one of Phuket's most distinguished families, Piyanoot Hongsyok has a dream. She would like Phuket, one of the world's top tourist destinations, to become an information and communications technology city.

"Phuket has the potential to become an ICT city, one where people from all over the world could come to stay and work. All they would need is a laptop, and they could lay back and start working immediately," said Piyanoot, deputy managing director of Anuphas and Sons.

Phuket attracts some 6 million visitors each year with more than 120 daily flights, earning about Bt80 billion in tourist revenue for the Kingdom.

Ironically, the local government must go through all sorts of bureaucratic procedures before it can receive any funds from the national government. Local talent does not have enough say in how to develop Phuket in accordance with its real potential.

The centralised national government makes it extremely difficult for Phuket to develop to its fullest potential, because it could also become a medical hub and financial centre.

Members of the Hongsyok clan, a major landlord in the province, are in local and national government and engaged in a wide range of businesses in Phuket.

Piyanoot said infrastructure development was now under way to turn Phuket into a software and ICT city. TOT, Cat Telecom and TT&T have invested in a high-speed Internet network via fibre optics surrounding the island. There are more than 8,000 ADSL ports, and a wireless CDMA system has also been put in place, covering all of Phuket and ready to accommodate businesses and visitors alike.

With Bangkok now a Southeast Asian medical hub, there is no reason why Phuket could not follow, because Bangkok Hospital and Phuket International Hospital, as well as 200-bed government-run medical facilities, have made their presence felt in the province. Phuket's hospitals can provide service to both locals and foreigners without the need to travel to Bangkok.

Phuket can also become a financial centre like the British Virgin Islands or Cayman Islands. Its location makes it ideal to develop into a financial centre.

Piyanoot said with the tourism industry - which has created enormous wealth for local and international investors - about to reach saturation, it had become more difficult for locals to break into that industry and expect high returns, what with the cost of land rising.

"Software and ICT should be looked upon as a value-creation industry for Phuket. Operating costs remain low, it's very flexible, there's no need for high-cost energy for transport, and delivery of services is instantaneous worldwide. The business is also environmentally friendly," she said.

Potential workers in the software and ICT industry could come here from Europe, especially Scandinavia. They could work in Phuket during the winter, in order to save energy at home while enjoying this world-class destination.

Piyanoot said Phuket could compete against Hong Kong and Singapore if it received further support for a market repositioning. Support measures should include further infrastructure development for high-speed Internet at a competitive cost and an Internet gateway, an investment fund for new businesses, ICT-oriented education institutes and Board of Investment tax incentives.