North Phuket unveils strategic rebranding campaign, aiming to position itself as a serene, sustainable alternative to southern tourism hotspots.v
A subtle transformation is taking place on Thailand’s largest island. On 5th June, a coalition of hotels gathered at The Slate, Nai Yang Beach, to unveil a new destination campaign: North Phuket. Marking the first visible step in a strategic effort to reposition the island’s northwestern coast, the initiative celebrates the area’s natural tranquillity, cultural heritage, and sense of place, offering travellers an alternative, more soulful side of Phuket.
The vision for North Phuket is being driven by Claude Sauter, General Manager of The Slate, whose efforts have coalesced into a destination campaign designed not merely to attract footfall but to redefine the entire perception of this corner of the island. The area in question stretches from Naithon Beach northwards to Mai Khao, a landscape rich in national parks, native wildlife and miles of uncrowded shoreline. Here, the tourism offering is different by design. It is more reflective, more measured, and above all, more sustainable.
North Phuket – Jeff Fongmool, Founder and CEO of MICE Magnet Asia
The genesis of the campaign can be traced to a leadership luncheon in Bangkok earlier this year, when Jeff Fongmool, Founder and CEO of MICE Magnet Asia, proposed a unified identity for North Phuket. His suggestion resonated instantly. Within weeks, a blueprint began to take form around a new destination positioning: Above & Beyond. This tagline is not merely aspirational but descriptive, conveying both the geographical orientation of the region and its intention to rise above the more congested and commercialised offerings to the south.
From the outset, the campaign has been steered with clarity of purpose. It is not a branding gimmick; it is a business strategy. Central to the initiative is a commitment to luxury lifestyle, nature and environmental stewardship. North Phuket is not simply another collection of resorts but a curated experience for a traveller seeking more than cocktails and clubbing. The strategic rollout will include familiarisation trips, hyper-local storytelling through short-form video, a micro-publication, and a strong digital narrative aligned to modern booking behaviours. More than 80 per cent of global travel bookings are now made via mobile devices. This is not lost on the campaign’s architects.
Technology alone, however, is not the differentiator. It is collaboration. In a country where the hospitality sector often moves in fragmented silos, the North Phuket initiative stands out as a rare example of private sector alignment. North Phuket hotels, spanning boutique, luxury, international and independent, are coming together not to dilute their individual identities, but to strengthen their shared visibility. This is destination marketing at its most strategic, and its most modern.
North Phuket – Associate Professor Dr Viriya Taecharungroj of Mahidol University
During the 5th June presentation, Associate Professor Dr Viriya Taecharungroj of Mahidol University, and author of Strategic City Planning, offered expert insight into place branding, reinforcing the necessity for alignment between narrative and visitor experience. His guidance, rooted in data and behavioural trends, underlines that destination branding today is as much about lived experience as it is about perception. A campaign may attract bookings, but it is alignment with on-the-ground reality that generates advocacy and repeat visitation.
What North Phuket offers is, increasingly, what the global traveller is seeking: space, tranquillity, cultural experiences and access. In an era when overdevelopment has dulled the appeal of many tourism hubs, the appeal of a serene destination just ten minutes from the airport is difficult to overstate. But success will not be measured by volume. It will be measured by value.
The ambition here is clear. Not to become the next neon clad resort for the masses, but to become something Phuket needs right now, a destination defined not by quantity, but by quality. If successful, North Phuket may not only transform its own fortunes, but offer a new blueprint for tourism development across the region.