Phuket Intel weekly brief
Phuket's new island map is live
This week: the local transport fixes worth watching, plus the live island map and a burger race separated by one vote.
Start here: the Phuket Intel This Week map
We launched phuketintel.com/this-week, a live map of what is happening around the island.
The map currently has 44 events and places, with filters for tonight, weekend, nightlife, daytime, music, arts, fitness, community, family, and free. It is built for the question that every local deals with: what should we do this week, and where is it?
Bookmark the map, share it with anyone who asks what is going on this week, and reply with feedback if something is missing or wrong.
Source: Phuket Intel This Week.
Three Phuket Projects to Watch
Phuket has no shortage of transport promises. The useful question is which ones will change daily life.
EV bus routes
The EV bus rollout is the one locals can feel soonest. Current routes already connect places like Saphan Hin, Central, Chalong Pier, Ratsada and Kathu. The fare is low, and some groups ride free, including students, seniors, monks and people with disabilities.
The route to watch is Airport to Rawai, expected around June 2026. PPAO has planned 10 electric buses for that line, with a reported budget of about B65 million.
This will not replace private airport transfers for most visitors. But for residents, staff, students, and budget travellers, it gives the south a cheaper way to connect with the airport. The real test will be frequency. A bus that runs often enough changes habits. A bus that runs too rarely becomes a backup plan.
Sponsored
The airport is chasing demand
Phuket still has strong tourism numbers: 3.82 million visitors in Q1, B146.13 billion in tourism revenue, and hotel occupancy at 83.39%. But the same report showed arrivals down 1.93% year on year and revenue down 2.18%.
The expansion plan would lift capacity to 18 million passengers a year. Current reporting points to design completion around Q2 2026, contractor selection by the end of 2026, construction starting in 2027, and completion possibly around 2031.
That is the problem. Phuket may need the extra capacity before the expansion is finished. For the island, airport pressure affects more than arrival queues. It affects flight slots, high-season travel, hotel demand, and transfer pressure around the north.
The Patong Tunnel is the big swing
The Patong Tunnel is the project that could really change how the island moves.
The planned Kathu-Patong section is about 3.98 km, linking Patong with Kathu through elevated road and tunnel sections. The point is simple: take pressure off Patong Hill, improve safety, and make west-coast access less dependent on one steep road.
Source: EXAT Phuket Expressway project site.
The official target has pointed toward 2030. But this project has already had failed private-sector bidding, financing changes, Cabinet revisions, and arguments over tunnel width, tolls and which agency should control it.
That makes the upside real, but the timeline shaky.
Burger bracket: 671 votes in, winners announced June 1
The Phuket Intel Best Burger 2026 bracket is live, with 671 votes counted so far.
The leaders are separated by one vote. Vote for your favourite, send it to the friend who always argues about burgers, and try one place you have not been to yet. Winners will be announced June 1.
Source: Phuket Intel Best Burger 2026 bracket.
What to watch next
Watch the map as a local discovery tool. Watch the burger race because it is actually close. And watch Phuket's transport projects by what is funded, contracted and under construction, not just what gets announced.
Thanks for reading to the end. Reply to give feedback, we read every reply.
Till next week!
Phuket Intel is the weekly brief for living, relocating, and investing in Phuket.