Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has expressed his intention to hold small mobile cabinet meetings in various provinces to better understand the problems and needs of local residents. Following his recent trip to Phuket, where he pledged to boost tourism, Srettha visited Phangnga to meet with entrepreneurs and the local business community.
Immediate Work After Government Formation
The Prime Minister stated that the Pheu Thai Party-led cabinet would begin its work as soon as the new government is formed and His Majesty the King issues a royal command appointing the new cabinet ministers. Srettha emphasized that meetings with private sectors and locals in Phuket and Phangnga were crucial to receiving first-hand feedback, inspiring the idea of organizing small mobile cabinet meetings in different provinces.
Focus on Specific Issues
Srettha believes that having smaller mobile cabinet meetings will make it easier for the group to move around. The meetings will focus on specific issues, depending on the needs of the targeted provinces. During his visit to Phangnga, Srettha and the Pheu Thai Party’s tourism policy committee, led by Dr. Prommin Lertsuridej, met with Lertsak Ponklin, president of the Phangnga Tourism Association, and members of the private sector to discuss the province’s tourism needs, including the extension of tourism visas for certain countries.
Stimulating Tourism and Improving Transportation
Lertsak Ponklin suggested extending visas would help stimulate tourism in the province and urged the new government to enhance transportation infrastructure between Phuket, Phangnga, and Krabi. He also expressed support for building a provincial airport. According to Lertsak, during the first six months, Phangnga earned 6.3 billion baht from tourism, with 40% of over 18,000 hotel rooms booked. If tourists had longer visas, they might tour provinces along the Andaman coast.
Visa Extension Plans
In response, Prime Minister Srettha, whose visit marked the first prime ministerial visit to the province in several years, agreed to extend tourist visas from 30 days to 90 days for arrivals from targeted countries, including China, India, and Russia.
