The certificates were handed out at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday (Feb 28).
“Today we have six more legal hotels. Before we had 425 legal hotels and now we have 431, but there are about 200 more (illegal) hotels to go,” Gov Chockchai said.
“We will strictly check on all 431 legally registered hotels to ensure they do not release wastewater into the sea or public water sources, that they preserve the environment, do not exploit customers and they pay taxes on time,” he added.
Gov Chockchai pointed out that bringing illegal hotels into fold is another way to reduce the opportunity for corruption by officials.
“This helps to reduce the problem of corruption in Phuket. Also, tourists will be more secure and they will be more confident in staying at Phuket hotels,” Gov Chockchai added.
“Moreover, local administrative offices can collect taxes from legal hotels for developing local areas,” he noted.