An Overview Of Phuket

Phuket Thailand (เกาะภูเก็ต)

Phuket is the biggest island in Thailand. Phuket is located on the southern of Thailand. Phuket town was found in the first century by colonists from India. In the 16th Century, tin came into Phuket's economical equation and the Dutch, as well as the French, came to the island because of it (Phuket even had a French-born governor at one time). The British were not far behind and they later sent Captain Francis Light to scout out the possibilities of controlling the strategically important Malacca Straits, using Phuket as a base. At the end of the nineteenth century, the island’s interior still remained relatively untouched. Much of it was still covered in ancient rain forest. However, at the beginning of the twentieth century, large areas of the island were cleared to make way for rubber plantations, irreparably altering the landscape of the island.

Tourism began on the island in the 1970s with the first beach bungalows at Patong Beach(หาดป่าตอง). Which give more money to the island. Today, tourism is by far the island’s biggest industry with over 3 million tourists visiting the island annually, making Phuket one of the most popular travel destinations in South-East Asia.