Phuket has always faced the water. Its transport is now starting to use it.
At the Phuket Real Estate Association’s sustainability seminar on 23 September 2026, a speaker representing Dr Jiraroth Sukolrat, Director of the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, confirmed that the Phuket boat taxi is due to open in October, and presented the Marine Department’s plans for new cruise terminals in Phuket, Samui and Chonburi.
The boat taxi
“It’s an alternative way to travel,” the speaker said. “As far as I know, it opens next month.”
When the plan was announced in January 2026, the Phuket Provincial Port Office described four catamarans carrying 200 passengers each, supported by electric boats and speedboats. The route starts near the international terminal of Phuket Airport, passes Sirinat National Park and continues down the west coast to Patong, covering 16 nautical miles with at least 14 stops at around 40 minutes per trip. The map shown at the seminar traces stops running further south toward the southern beaches.
The service is built around peak season, from November to April, docking at floating piers. Waves and the monsoon will limit it at times.
The cruise terminals
In May 2026, the Deputy Minister of Transport instructed the Marine Department to urgently study large cruise terminals at Koh Samui, Phuket and Pattaya in Chonburi, citing the growing number of large cruise ships arriving from Europe and Asia.
The Phuket Cruise Terminal is marked as in progress on the Marine Department’s map, at the island’s southeast tip near Cape Panwa, where Phuket Deep Sea Port sits today. The design shown on the day has a sail shaped roof over a long pier, and the route map links Phuket, Samui and Chonburi with Singapore and Vietnam.
Samui is furthest along. As of July 2026, its terminal was estimated at 12.17 billion baht, about USD 370 million, planned as a public private partnership and targeted for completion in 2032.
Asa Marsh on the sea routes
“The boat taxis mean people can get around the island by sea, with multiple piers along the way,” said Asa Marsh, Managing Director of Easy Living Phuket. “It’s going to be a much more fun way to get around in high season. In low season it gets a bit choppy, but I think the popularity is going to be super high.”
“Cruise liners bring thousands of people at a time. If Thailand has the infrastructure to support them, the cruise lines will make more ports of call in Phuket, Samui and Chonburi. This is massive for tourism, and massive for Phuket.”
What it means for buyers on the coast
Sea transport adds a new layer to how people judge a location. A home within walking distance of a boat taxi pier offers an easier trip to the airport and along the west coast, particularly in high season when the roads are at their busiest.
Cape Panwa and the southeast could see more activity as cruise plans progress, and a proper cruise berth would bring more visitors into Phuket Town and the south of the island.
As with every infrastructure plan, we advise buying on what exists today. The boat taxi’s first season will show how well it runs, and the cruise terminal still has planning stages ahead. We will help you weigh a coastal property on its own merits, with its title and structure checked by our vetted network.
If you’d like to talk through property along Phuket’s coast, speak to the Easy Living Phuket team.
Rate used: 32.9 baht to the US dollar, September 2026.
