The eighth run of Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism (PHIST), Asia’s biggest sustainability event for tourism broke records with over 1,300 delegates from across the region.
During this year’s forum, government and business leaders warned the hospitality industry to act fast on integrating community-driven sustainability into travel and tourism experiences to appeal to a new generation of visitors.
Discussions pointed out how hotels and tourism operators need to engage with local communities to enrich travel and tourism programmes and meet the changing preferences of travellers in order to drive visitor dwindling numbers and reboot Thailand’s flagging tourism industry.
Organised by the Phuket Hotels Association, C9 Hotelworks, and Greenview, PHIST 2025 underscored how sustainability has shifted from buzzword to business imperative in Asian tourism.
With record attendance and a sharper focus on community impact, the message was clear: hotels can no longer thrive without helping their host communities do the same.
A gathering of minds
Held at the Angsana Laguna Phuket resort, PHIST 2025 brought together hoteliers, policy makers and innovators for over 25 hard-hitting sessions, alongside a sustainable fashion show, farm-to-table showcase and awards recognizing best practices.
In Phuket, the public and private sectors have collaborated very successfully in the past, such as with the Sandbox initiative establishing Phuket as the international entry point into Thailand during the Covid pandemic, and the industry is urging them to do so again.
Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat used his keynote address to call for stronger local governance and sustainable urban resort planning.
Suwannarat said: “Local power and lasting progress can be achieved if we focus on four key areas: green spaces, infrastructure, sustainability, and the move towards a Phuket Special Administrative Zone here. For example, a new community park at Layan Beach will be created to increase green space and help curb illegal construction. The Laguna Phuket group also contributed for a road.”
Likewise, Minor International founder and chairman William E Heinecke urged the private sector to deliver measurable results even as he accepted the Green Giant Award for his leadership in sustainable business.
Heinecke declared: “Our framework at Minor is built on three pillars: People, Nature, and Responsible Business. By 2030 we aim to support 3 million people through workforce development and community engagement. The bigger picture is that Thailand’s tourism industry is flagging and needs to pivot to re-energise its offering across the world.”
For his part, C9 Hotelworks managing director Bill Barnett remarked: “Thailand has a chance to reset. Community engagement and positive social outcomes have been left behind. This is the new battleground for the industry.”
