Leading a seminar at the Katina Hotel, Assoc Prof Dr Saranya Bunnag of the Social Sciences Faculty at Prince of Songkhla University (PSU), Pattani campus, explained the proposal and what is being done.
“We have already researched the behaviour of the elderly,” she said. “They like comfortable accommodation and food that is easy to digest. They like visiting natural places such as the hot springs in Ranong, and places of history.”
Attending the meeting were tour agents, local officials and local people from various parts of the island.
Dr Saranya told them, “The main idea of this meeting today is to get your ideas. You know more than other people about the places that might attract elderly tourists. Our research [when complete] may help tour agencies that decide they want to target the elderly as a market.
“I believe we should attract more elderly tourists to come in Phuket. In Penang in Malaysia they get lots of these people. It would be good if we in Phuket can do the same.
“I believe the results of our research will be capable of attracting more such tourists to the island.”
She said that the PSU research team has already begun collecting information, and expects to complete it in about three weeks. After that, the research will be presented to the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).
Dr Saranya told The Phuket News, “Phuket is an interesting province that international tourists have been aware of for a long time.
“We aim to help create a new target market [the elderly] and create new tour routes [for them] in Phuket, which will also help the nation’s economy.”
Once the results have been handed over to the FTI, she said, FTI representatives can survey all the destinations for the elderly that have been identified by the research. “If [they find] that a tourism place is not good, it can be improved or changed.”
The research will also be presented at the ITB travel show in Berlin, Germany, from March 4 to 8. ITB is one of the world’s largest tourism shows.
She also saw significant possibilities in expanding to a national level a project that PSU has already carried out in the Deep South.
“My research team have successfully created new tourism routes in Songkla, Pattani, Satun, Yala and Narathiwat, where there are many interesting historic sites to visit.
“We found 897 potential tourism points in these provinces. These have been posted on our website. People can go to the site and create their own itineraries to suit their particular interests. After we collect similar information on Phuket, this, too, will be posted on the website (www.me-fi.com/saranya/).”
Asked why the website was in Thai only, she said that translating it would be expensive.