Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula is keen to see a Phuket light-rail system to reduce traffic congestion to and from the island’s popular beaches.
He also said it would allow tourists to easily explore the more traditional side of island life around Phuket Town.
"In my opinion, having the light rail expanded to serve the beaches would be a good idea," he said.
"A lot of people visit the beaches, and if we have light-rail from the beaches to Phuket Town, a lot more tourists will have a better chance to learn more about Phuket and provide an economic boost to the town."
A current proposal is to construct a light rail route from Phang Nga to Phuket International Airport, and on to Phuket Town and the deputy PM wants to see this expanded.
"I will think about this further and see if expanding the light-rail route can be done," he said, addressing a regional governors meeting.
The light-rail project has been warmly welcomed by tourism leaders in Phuket as an important step forward in modernising infrastructure to cope better with tourism flows.
The THB23 billion project is slated to begin construction in 2012.
The deputy PM also gave his full support to developing a deep sea port in Phuket to boost cruise tourism.
