North Phuket
In a bold move to redefine North Phuket’s tourism in Thailand’s most visited island, a coalition of top-tier hotels have come together to unveil a new destination branding initiative for the area. While Southern Phuket has long monopolised the spotlight with its neon nightlife and polished resorts, a quieter, more deliberate movement has begun in the island’s northern reaches.
Following a meeting at The Slate Phuket, this new campaign marks a strategic pivot away from mass tourism toward a curated, sustainable, and high-value travel experience. With the tagline “Above and Beyond”, the campaign showcases the more laid-back, nature-based attractions of the island’s north.
Phuket welcomed over 11 million international visitors in 2024, up 28% from the previous year, cementing its status as Southeast Asia’s premier leisure destination. Yet as southern hotspots like Patong continue to swell, the untapped northern coastline, stretching from Naithon Beach to Mai Khao, is emerging as a haven for discerning travellers seeking space, serenity, and authenticity.
Leading the North Phuket initiative is Claude Sauter, General Manager of The Slate, who described the campaign as “a business strategy, not a branding exercise.” Rooted in environmental stewardship and luxury lifestyle positioning, the rebrand aims to align digital visibility with the lived guest experience, so critical in the digital era, where over 80% of travel bookings are made via mobile devices. The campaign is designed not just to attract footfall, but to redefine the entire perception of this corner of the island, which is 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.
The campaign’s origins trace back to a leadership luncheon in Bangkok earlier this year, when Jeff Fongmool, Founder and CEO of MICE Magnet Asia, proposed a unified identity for the region. His concept quickly gained traction among hoteliers, culminating in the development of “Above & Beyond”, a slogan that captures both the geographic and aspirational ethos of North Phuket.
Associate Professor Dr Viriya Taecharungroj of Mahidol University, a leading expert on place branding provided input into the campaign, with a keynote that emphasised that successful destination marketing must synchronise narrative with visitor experience to foster loyalty and repeat visitation.
“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,” he said.
This initiative is also a rare show of private-sector collaboration in Thailand’s hospitality sector. From boutique escapes to global brands, North Phuket hotels are aligning not to compete, but to collectively elevate the region’s visibility and value proposition. From the outset, the campaign has been steered with clarity of purpose. It is not a branding gimmick, but 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 traveller seeking more than cocktails and clubbing.
Key components of the rollout include:
- Familiarisation trips for media and travel influencers;
- Hyper-local storytelling through digital short-form content;
- A micro-publication focused on regional culture and conservation;
- A robust mobile-first digital strategy to align with traveller behaviour;
“The traveller of today seeks more than just amenities,” said Sauter. “They want connection, purpose, and space to breathe. North Phuket offers all of that, just minutes from the airport, but worlds away from the crowds.”
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, where success will not be measured by volume, but by value.
As the global tourism sector trends toward experience-driven and sustainable travel, North Phuket is positioning itself as a blueprint for the future, by prioritising value over volume, authenticity over amenities, and community over commerce. If successful, North Phuket may not only transform its own fortunes, but offer a new blueprint for tourism development across the region.
The campaign aligns perfectly with the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau’s “Four Regions of Phuket’ branding initiative and will build on what TCEB can do.
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