Global Entrepreneur & Investor

John Baldwin Brings Technology to Phuket

Phuket ranks among the wealthiest areas in Thailand, attracting millions of foreign tourists every year. The island’s unique vibe is accompanied by a thriving business climate, which contributes to making the island the second highest per capita income generator of Thailand.

Until the recent COVID-19 outbreak in December 2019, Phuket had been attracting over 9.29 million visitors per year, which translates into an average of 25,452 visitors per day, making it the location with the highest number of visitors per square mile per day worldwide.

Despite the high numbers, there are still major areas that either lack quality infrastructure or are not well organized to manage tourism waves and could benefit from immediate technological development. Phuket has suffered a loss of more than 127 billion THB since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, and recovery is not expected until late 2021.

Investing in smart technology and in promoting smart city initiatives could help the island boost its revenue.

As major international investors such as John Baldwin have recently pointed out, there are still multiple unaddressed problems in Phuket that could be solved or at least tackled by investing in smart city technology. Major examples of advanced smart cities include Phuket’s neighbors Singapore and Hong Kong, European cities such as Copenhagen and London, and the American cities of New York and Boston.

But what is exactly Smart City Technology?

Many cities around the world have developed frameworks to implement smart city features to enhance government efficiency, infrastructure development and living standards. From Singapore to Seoul, smart cities have proven to be successful in boosting government revenues and tourism rates.

Among the initiatives implemented worldwide we find:

• Smart Mobility: involves initiatives to enhance traffic conditions, reduce travel times and improve safety. Smart mobility can be achieved by developing intelligent transportation systems such as Dubai’s autonomous air taxi or Phuket’s rapid transit electric bus.

• Smart Living: focuses on enhancing the quality of life for residents and tourists by implementing measures to create a safer, healthier environment. Safety and security are critical factors for tourists when deciding where to spend their leisure time. Improvements in such fields can have huge benefits on local economies, acting as an incentive for businesses to open up branches and expats to become residents.

• Smart Governance: concerns all efforts put towards improving the efficiency of government service systems to facilitate residents and businesses. Smart governance is a key element to consider to attract more investors and increase government revenues. Simple innovations such as open data platforms and trade fairs have helped Asian economies rise above their competitors and attract a number of international investors.

Phuket’s Smart Technology: John Baldwin’s Contribution

Developing and implementing smart technology solutions for crowded cities and tourist heavy locations can significantly improve the quality of life for locals and boost tourism rates even further. Phuket finds itself among the newest smart cities of Asia, along with Singapore and Seoul, and given the current economic climate, smart technology could be the only way out of this profound crisis.

International investor and philanthropist John Baldwin has recently started contributing to the technological development of the island as part of his company CSR strategy. Wherever he operates, John Baldwin always supports the local community with a variety of projects from disaster relief to technology investments.

Among the initiatives to be implemented in Phuket, we find the rapid transit electric bus service, to be launched in 2026. This project provides a more efficient, more environmentally friendly substitute to car and motorbike transportation, which is currently the main mode of transport on the island. With his investments on the island, John Baldwin is determined to install a safer and greener climate to support the local economy and help attract more investors such as himself. Through his company Bridge Capital LLC., John Baldwin has impacted the lives of many underprivileged families in Laos, Saipan, Guam and Phuket.

“Electric transportation is essential for newly developed countries such as Thailand”, says John Baldwin, “the abundance of motorbikes, cars and trucks crowding the island has many negative consequences such as poor air quality levels, scarcity of drinkable water and excessive noise and light pollution”.

He further highlighted how the rapid transit electric bus is the first step towards a cleaner, safer environment which could make the difference for the economic future not only of Phuket but of the whole country. John Baldwin is setting an example for international investors to take steps towards supporting the local community and create a more secure environment for residents and tourists.