Economy

Outcry as Pattaya’s Walking Street opens to vehicles

Published

9 months ago

Sunday, August 9, 2020

Jack Burton

PHOTOS: The Pattaya News

Pattaya’s famous Walking Street nightlife district is now open to vehicular traffic around the clock, but not everyone is pleased. Business owners in the Walking Street area are reportedly asking the Pattaya City government to extend a current trial allowing vehicles onto the street at all hours of the day. The trial was proposed as international borders are still closed due to the Covid-19 crisis, leading to a lack of tourists. An estimated 60% of its businesses remain closed, although some nightclubs are still popular, even with reduced traffic.

The opening event Friday night was led the Pattaya City Deputy Mayor Ronnakit Eakkasing, who said:

“This opening event is to invite both Thai and foreign tourists to visit Walking Street. Now, vehicles are being allowed to enter walking street as a long-term trial. However it is one way traffic to prevent accidents.”

Comments on social media were mostly negative. While many saw the point of making the area seem more lively and allowing people to park or get dropped off in front of their venue of choice rather than walk down a darkened street with many closed businesses, in reality the traffic combined with pedestrians appeared somewhat chaotic on the first night. Parking is now also allowed on the street, which has led to reduced space for both vehicles and pedestrians.

Outcry as Pattaya's Walking Street opens to vehicles | News by Thaiger

SOURCE The Pattaya News

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Related Topics:cars open vehicles Pattaya walking street

3 Comments

Perceville Smithers

Sunday, August 9, 2020 at 4:54 pm

Make it motorbike only.

Reply
Kevin Skinner

Monday, August 10, 2020 at 11:00 am

Make it walking again.

Reply
Terry Williams

Tuesday, August 11, 2020 at 6:43 am

You can not call it walking street anymore!

Reply

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Decision to allow traffic on Pattaya’s Walking Street comes under fire on social media

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Jack Burton

Jack Burton is an American writer, broadcaster, linguist and journalist who has lived in Asia since 1987. A native of the state of Georgia, he attended the The University of Georgia's Henry Grady School of Journalism, which hands out journalism's prestigious Peabody Awards. His works have appeared in The China Post, The South China Morning Post, The International Herald Tribune and many magazines throughout Asia and the world. He is fluent in Mandarin and has appeared on television and radio for decades in Taiwan, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.

Economy

Thailand increases durian exports to China by 14% this year

Published

19 hours ago

Thursday, May 6, 2021

Ann Carter

Thailand has exported 14% more durian to China in this year’s first quarter over the same period last year. The Trade Negotiations Department Director General says Thai durian auctions in the first quarter secured 186 million, making up 88% of the total amount of Thai durian exports to world markets.

Last year, Thailand exported US1.5 billion worth of durian to China, a 78% increase from 2019. China’s share accounted for 73% of total Thai durian exports to world markets. 18 countries have free trade agreements for fruit with Thailand. Thailand is actively exporting fresh fruit with its top buyers being Australia, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore. The most popular fruits are the national delicacy of durian, along with mango, mangosteen and longan.

Despite the increases in durian exports, farmers have been worried about Covid-19′s effect on the industry. Earlier in 2021 health authorities in China circulated a press release stating that imported cherries from Chile had been tested and found to have Covid-19 contamination. This statement prompted a huge drop in Chilean cherry prices. Thai growers are worried the same might happen to durian imports. As the seriousness of the Coronavirus in Thailand reaches new widespread levels, one instance of a durian container being linked to Covid-19 could spur a total ban on importing fruit from Thailand.

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SOURCE: MENAFN

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Economy

GDP forecast dropped to 1-2% with best, middle and worst case scenarios

Published

24 hours ago

Thursday, May 6, 2021

Neill Fronde

FILE PHOTO: Economic predictions continue to fall with Covid-19 spread and slow vaccination.

Mass vaccination will be the key stop the slump in economic growth after the Bank of Thailand revised their 2021 GDP forecast to between 1 – 2%. They had previously estimated a 3% growth in the gross domestic product but are now creating tiered predictions of a base level, worse situation, and a worst-case scenario, according to the Bank of Thailand’s Monetary Policy Committee.

The base GDP forecast, which you could call a best-case scenario, expects a 2% growth predicated on some rosy numbers like foreign tourism growing to 1.2 million people and unemployment staying around 2.7 million. It also operates on the assumption that Thailand reaches 100 million vaccines distributed by the end of the year which would allow herd immunity by the beginning of 2022.

The middle ground prediction is a 1.5% GDP growth if 64.6 million vaccines are administered, delaying herd immunity to the third quarter of 2022. It also allows for unemployment to grow by another 100,000 people, and tourism to reach only 1 million foreign visitors. If we don’t get this tourism growth and unemployment and underemployment expands to 2.9 million or above, and we distribute less than 64.4 million jabs, the worst-case scenario would be only a 1% GDP growth and herd immunity not being possible until the end of 2022 at the earliest.

The worst-case scenario would be a 5.7% drop in the GDP this year, a loss of 890 billion baht. The middle ground forecast would cost about 460 billion Baht, about a 3% drop in Thailand GDP.

The BOT had originally forecast stronger GDP growth but reduced from 3.2% to 3% before dropping their predictions to the 1% to 2% figure. With the devastating effect of the third wave of Covid-19 being much more far-reaching than originally expected, this new prediction was released now instead of when it was scheduled in June. They did state that government economic stimulus packages could still have a positive effect and allow the economy to grow 3 to 5.7%, assuming mass vaccination goes into effect quickly.

The tourism sector and small-to-medium-sized enterprises would be the most affected by the delays in vaccination. The Monetary Policy Committee stressed that the economy hinges on the speedy importing and administering of vaccines. Faster vaccination will prevent mutations, new strains, and new outbreaks, as well as allowing international borders to fully reopen more quickly and more successfully. They stress that government efforts to support the economy must continue as the government has recently announced they will extend cash stimulus programs and allot money to more low-income assistance.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post

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Thailand

225 billion baht Covid-19 stimulus package gets initial approval

Published

2 days ago

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Neill Fronde

FILE PHOTO: 225 billion baht of Covid-19 relief money looks to be coming soon.

Thailand’s cabinet gave initial approval today for a stimulus package of 225 billion baht to provide low-income groups relief from the devastating third wave of Covid-19. The plan to invest nearly a quarter of a trillion baht into financial stimulation measures passed its initial stage today and will be reviewed and voted on within the next few weeks according to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha.

The package would include a 1-month extension of 2 programs that provide cash to those most in need. The cost of this extension is about 85.5 billion baht. The proposal also includes spending for co-payment and e-voucher programs and additional cash offerings to card-holding welfare recipients and other special groups. The investment of 140 billion for those programs is expected to be a stimulus for domestic consumption according to government officials.

The third wave of Covid-19 has seen drastically more infections, hospitalisations, and death than the first two waves in Thailand. Covid-19 infections and deaths more than doubled since the beginning of last month. This, in addition to a painfully slow vaccination rollout, leaves the original date of July 1st to begin no-quarantine reopenings in select tourist sandbox areas of Thailand in doubt. For a country heavily reliant on tourism this delay spells economic disaster. People need stimulus aid to cope with Covid-19 and the business and travel sectors have seen several control measures implemented.

Among the steps being taken to try to bolster the struggling economy are the Bank of Thailand announcing today that the decision to keep the record low interest rates to support economic recovery was a unanimous vote. PM Prayut also announced plans for a second phase of relief measures in the second half of the year when hopefully the coronavirus outbreak is contained. The planned implementation of Covid-19 stimulus is expected to generate 473 billion baht of economic growth and aid 51 million Thai people.

Apart from the 225 billion baht stimulus package, other Covid-19 money discussed in today’s cabinet meeting included 20 billion baht of loans from state-owned banks with low-interest rates, and a Health Ministry budget of 12.6 billion baht to deal with the third wave of Covid-19 infections. Measures were also passed to extend grace periods for loans from state-owned banks, extend tax incentives until the end of the year for companies hiring former prisoners, and cut water and electricity rates for the majority of customers throughout May and June.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post