# Tourism-Induced Urbanization in Phuket Island, Thailand (1987-2024): A Spatiotemporal Analysis
## 4 Discussion
### Phuket Changing Urban Landscape
The island had a substantial rise in the development of resorts and condomiums due to initiatives like Amazing Thailand (1998) and Visit Thailand Year (2015). The campaigns provided financial incentives for tourism investment. Consequently, they boosted tourism and economic diversification, leading to increased investment in tourism infrastructure and real estate expansion. The expansion of luxury home projects in sought-after locations like Laguna and Kata Beach was greatly impacted by these policies. The alteration of Phuket's land use patterns was expedited by the easing of foreign ownership laws for real estate, drawing international purchasers and developers [60; 61]. The Smart City Initiative, however, launched in 2015, marked a decisive shift in Phuket's developmental path by emphasizing sustainable urban planning and digital innovation. The island's economy has diversified with investments in technological parks, transportation facilities, and upscale residential complexes, thus reducing its reliance on conventional tourism. These shifts have also impacted land use objectives, placing increased focus on urban densification and mixed-use developments in inland areas such as Kathu and Chalong. While the Phuket Sandbox initiative, allowing vaccinated international tourists to visit without quarantine, sparked a surge in tourism-driven businesses and real estate investment [62; 63]. The government expedited infrastructure upgrades but faced challenges related to resource management, environmental conservation, and sustainable tourism. Both campaigns highlight the complex relationship between economic growth, urban planning, and environmental sustainability [64]. Numerous events, both global and local, impact tourism in Phuket. The 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic all led to substantial declines in tourist arrivals and corresponding alterations in land use dynamics (for detailed information, please refer to Figure 1). The 1997 financial crisis led to a significant decline in foreign investment and the deferral of various tourism-related infrastructure initiatives. The Thai government enacted economic rehabilitation measures, including tax incentives for international investors and subsidies for domestic tourism operators. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic posed unique issues, since the collapse of the worldwide tourism industry led to widespread economic upheavals and the underutilization of tourism infrastructure [65]. In 2021, the Thai government created the Phuket Sandbox program to mitigate these repercussions. This program allowed immunized international passengers to visit the island without quarantine requirements. The tourism sector had a temporary enhancement due to this policy, which also prompted a reevaluation of land use objectives. A multitude of properties, including hotels and resorts, were repurposed for domestic tourism or alternative uses, signifying a shift towards more flexible and resilient urban design techniques. Consequently, land use decisions have been markedly affected by environmental and zoning restrictions, notwithstanding their erratic implementation. Insights gleaned from studying Phuket's growth between 1987 and 2024 reveal a city characterized by dynamic yet occasionally turbulent expansion patterns. By employing metrics like the Urban Expansion Intensity Index (UEII) and Shannon Entropy analysis tools, phases of rapid growth juxtaposed with periods of relative stability can be discerned. Throughout this span of 37 years, Phuket's UEII values exhibited fluctuations of varying rates of urban expansion. On average, these values portrayed an upward trend but not without inconsistencies. The surge in values observed from 1988 to 1990 was largely attributed to a surge in tourism activity driving rapid urbanization. Conversely, a negative UEII value recorded in 1996-2000 (\(-\)4.73) signaled a contraction in areas possibly linked to the fallout from the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997.