Thailand’s ‘Phuket Model’ Uses Drones and AI to Boost Tourist Safety

On 12 September, the Tourist Police Bureau announced the ‘Phuket Model’, a system that mixes drone surveillance, three‑dimensional terrain mapping and AI‑driven analysis, according to The Phuket News.

The drones fly over attractions and create 3‑D terrain databases. Officers can use these maps to plan patrol routes or design rescue paths in difficult places such as mountains and forests.

AI software then scans the drone footage. It can count people and vehicles, set monitoring zones, flag possible fights or traffic accidents, read licence plates and keep an eye on crowd density.

The rollout supplies 128 drones, 32 drone‑patrol vehicles, 11 Mobile CCOC vehicles, four microbuses equipped with AI cameras and 32 new smart checkpoint systems across the country.

Tourism numbers have been slipping. The Tourism Authority of Thailand reported a 7.23 % drop in international arrivals in 2025, bringing the total to almost 33 million, and arrivals through August 2026 were about 3 % lower than the previous year, with just over 20.9 million visitors recorded.

Security worries have added pressure. In January 2025 a Chinese actor, Wang Xing, was kidnapped near the Myanmar border, prompting many Chinese tourists to cancel trips. In May 2026, four Thai police officers and a civilian were arrested after five Chinese nationals were allegedly detained and extorted for ransom, a case reported by The Nation.

By giving police real‑time visual data and automated alerts, the Phuket Model aims to speed up responses to accidents or incidents and to help authorities monitor crowded sites more efficiently, which could help restore confidence among travelers.

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