Phuket

Phuket, Thailand

The tropical holiday island of Phuket is located in the Andaman Sea, off the western coast of Thailand, where it is connected to the mainland by two road bridges. This destination has been an attraction for tourist for decades now, because of the year round sun and the white sand beaches.

Early History

Phuket, Thailand's biggest island, has a known history dating back to around 1025 AD, with evidences of exploration from the Shivite Empire, which ruled the Malay Peninsula. 

17^th Century

The island was known to British, Dutch and also the French traders as early as the 16th century, as the island held a large resource of tin, which had a major demand during the time.

In counter for a Burmese attack to reconquer the south of Thailand, there were two women Thao Thepkasattri (Kunying Jan) and her sister Thao Srisoonthorn (Mook), together they assembled a local force and send the Burmese back after a month’s of siege.

After their victorious win, they received honorary titles from the king Rama I. Later a monument was built in May 1967, now it is known as the Heroines’ Monument.

19^th Century

During the 19^th century there was a boom of tourism, a lot more employment was needed and the city started to expand its infrastructures. There was also a lot of Chinese migrants who worked as laborers and resulted in Phuket’s ethnic mix becoming predominantly Chinese.

20^th Century and early 21th century

In 1933, Phuket became a province due to changes of the parliaments due to the falling monarchy. A large amount of revenue from tourism came after flights became more accessible and tours companies started to form.

On December 26, 2004 a tsunami struck Phuket which resulted in thousands affected by this natural disaster. A fall in tourist activity happened and continued for a couple of years, but after a while a, there was a rise of tourism by 40%.