Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat officially opened the meeting, which was held at the Pago Design Hotel, north of Phuket Town.
Joining the Governor were Phasutha Ruangsuk, Deputy Director of the Bank of Thailand’s Southern Region Office, and Wimonrat Wismitanan, President of the Phuket Banking Club, in addition to executives and branch managers of every bank in Phuket.
Currently, Phuket Province has a total of 18 banks, with 126 branches island-wide.
In his opening remarks, Governor Sophon explained that increased infrastructure development across the island which would require funding at government level was regarded as crucial to helping drive economic development of the province.
A key part of this is a solution to the ever-increasing traffic problem on the island, he added, meaning major development for roads, highways and potentially alternative options.
Governor Sophon also pointed to the increased numbers of tourists in Phuket which are key to driving economic prosperity for the province.
He concluded by extending thanks to the various banks present at the meeting who help push key directives from the government and Bank of Thailand by helping entrepreneurs and business owners in Phuket drive the economy.
In his comments, Mr Phasutha highlighted the value of all banks providing fair service to customers, emphasising the importance of adhering to best-practice market conduct in relation to financial markets rules and regulations.
He added that the overall Thai economy is expected to grow in 2024 due to increased foreign and domestic demand, with service exports recovering and the number of foreign tourists expected to hit 34.5. million people.
Mr Phasutha further explained that private consumption figures expanded well following the recovery of the service sector this year, and that merchandise exports recovered at the beginning of the year in line with the world electronics cycle, and that demand is expected to continue to rise.