Middle Eastern Airports Set Good Examples For Phuket

30th Mar 2011

Phuket International Airport international passengers numbers in June 2010 increased 46.37% over the previous year in line with a larger Asia/Pacific 10.8% change in passengers despite political upheaval, erupting volcanoes and throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the island.

This healthy upward trend is tempered by June domestic figures which show a 5.8% reduction in passengers, the second straight month of decline; plus a survey which found that the current state of tourism is unsustainable. Both these trends suggest that all sectors of the tourism and travel industry need to work harder to ensure Phuket retains both its leadership status and its identity as a tourism Mecca.

The Phuket Gazette poll in July that found more than two-thirds of respondents believe the current state of Phuket's tourism is unsustainable, was disturbing. Sustainable tourism was defined as 'an industry committed to making a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate future employment for local people.' Local foreign residents were particularly pessimistic, with 78% saying tourism was unsustainable and 43% saying there was no hope of recovery.

While the reasons for such pessimism would be varied - from rampant, unrestrained over-development, a chaotic public transport sector, political unrest in Bangkok and, to be sure, many other - let's hope Phuket can overcome such feelings because the competition out there is getting tougher - much tougher.

One interesting aspect of the Thailand visitor figures for June was a substantial increase in traffic of 114.69% for passengers carried by the two budget airlines, Nok Air and Orient Thai Airlines out of the old Don Mueang airport, suggesting that price was a major factor in domestic travel.

But on the international front, which is the mainstay of the Phuket tourism industry, Phuket in particular - and Thailand in general for that matter - should be alert to the tremendous growth in aviation taking place in the Middle East. This is projected to grow 15.5% in 2010 (Asia/Pacific 10.8%) 12% in 2011 (7.5%) and 11.5% (7.5) in 2012. This growth is a double edged ((Arabian?) sword for Thailand. Middle Eastern visitors to The Kingdom are continually increasing, based around medical tourism, but, by the same token, the high quality Middle Eastern carriers like Turkish Airlines (Turkey), Emirates (Dubai), Ethiad (Abhu Dhabi), Gulf Air( Bahrain) and Qartar (Qartar), are attracting many more passengers through their hubs such as Dubai, Abhu Dhabi, Bahrain and Istanbul.

They are using their mainly oil based economic muscle to stage major events in sports like golf and tennis, and particularly Formula One racing. Abhu Dabi, Istanbul and Bahrain alls have F1 races, as well as Singapore and Shanghai in Asia.

Now the Middle Eastern states are getting their airport act together, as evidenced by Abu Dhabi International Airport winning the most improved airport in the 2010 Skytrax World Airport Awards. This is what Abhu Dhabi airport's chairman said about his airport, which Phuket International Airport, with its 5 billion baht redevelopment plan under way, could look to for some inspiration if it is required: 'With a new terminal, new parking facilities, free wi-fi and use of new technologies as well as a unique travel retail and food and beverage offering, and a comprehensive service quality training programme to our staff, we create exciting new facilities and offer award winning services to all air travelers through the airport.'

But Abhu Dhabi is not the only airport in the Skytrax awards that offers services and facilities for airports like PIA - and Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok for that matter - could measure themselves against to employ best practice leading to greater customer satisfaction. Here are some examples.

Hong Kong International Airport received the best airport washrooms award. Said Skytrax chairman Edward Plaisted: 'Such a basic and expected feature of cleanliness and yet so many airports fail to deliver the standards we see amongst the top rated airports.' Remember the controversy, when Suvarnabhumi opened, about the small number, and cleanliness, of the toilets.

Zurich Airport wins award for the cleanest terminal. Said Plaisted: 'This aspect of the airport experience is such a critical factor towards ensuring good customer satisfaction levels.'

Singapore Changi Airport wins best airport leisure amenities award. Said Plaisted: 'This award is targeted at airports with a substantial focus on transfer passengers. Singapore Airport has clearly establish a winning formula of satisfying travelers' (in terms of amenities and entertainment) PIA is not a substantial transfer airport and it must be said that facilities and amenities in the international departure area have improved immeasurably with some way to go.

London Heathrow Airport wins best shopping award. This was mainly about the flagship new Terminal 5, but also applied to other terminals as well. Generally at PIA the shopping is quite limited compared to many other airports, but then, visitors to Phuket would have done most of their serious shopping during their holiday anyway.

One area where PIA is improving, albeit slowly, is in security, which this year was won by Beijing Capital International Airport, a newly opened (before the Olympics) behemoth that reeks of size, but efficiency.

Overall there is obviously room for improvement at Phuket airport, but there are also some advantages PIA has over airports like Beijing Capital and Suvarnabhumi - including its small size. Passengers in surveys often comment on the convenience of not having to walk for hundreds of metres to get to and from a gate. Passengers are also relieved to find Phuket has such an international airport even though, as one person commented in a recent Airline Quality survey: 'This is a tiny place, it feels being somewhere in the countryside. It's almost unbelievable that this place serves so many foreign passengers.'

And as another passenger in the same survey observed: 'It needs a bit of redevelopment to bring it up to scratch.'

Well to that passenger - and the 6 million in 2009 who went through the airport - hang on and we will get there yet.

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