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The Tourism Authority of Thailand says that Phuket has received a much-needed 300 million baht boost over the 4 day long weekend with around 54,000 tourists flocking to the island from last Thursday through to yesterday.

Phuket Office Director Nanthasiri Ronnasiri, reports that the average expenditure per visitor was about 5,500 baht, which was higher than the average spend for a Thai tourist to Phuket 2 years ago. She also noted that random checks on hotels showed that occupancy rates climbed to about 35%, with most guests staying 2 nights. But most of Phuket’s hotels remain closed.

Nanthasiri also says that many of the tourists concentrated themselves in the Phuket Old Town area, especially around Thalang Road, Phang Nga Road, and Dibuk Road in order to enjoy at the Sino-Portuguese shophouse architecture and historical locations. In fact much of Phuket Town, including its many markets and alley eateries, were doing roaring business, The Thaiger can vouch for the heavy traffic, on the roads and footpaths, over the past 4 days.

“This special holiday made Phuket tourism livelier, even though it was not as same as the situation before the Covid-19 pandemic.”

In fact, despite the welcome surge of visitors, it was still a long, long way from its previous tourist levels with much of the west coast, which has largely catered for the international tourist traffic, was still very quiet in places like Patong, Kata and Karon.

Phuket wasnt the only destination that has profited off of the long weekend as Chiang Mai saw droves of Thai tourists visiting its Royal Park Rajapruek as well as the northern city’s other nearby national parks and tourist areas. Visitors came from all over to see the blossoming of flowers in a beautiful display at the park as well as enjoying the air-purifying flowers as they relaxed. Tourists were able to rent a bicycle for 60 baht if they wanted to exercise while taking in the scenery and could also pay a visit to the orchid greenhouse, which hosts a variety of orchids in bloom. TripAdvisor recommends to set aside 2 hours to visit the park.

Next holiday weekend, on November 27 and 28, Pattaya is expected to get a tourism boost as its annual fireworks festivalis set to bring in travellers who have taken advantage of package deals offered by some beachside hotels. Such packages were offered for advance bookings, where holidaymakers could view the firework shows on the rooftops of their hotels. The firework displays are said to be long with breaks of entertainment-packed shows, featuring live music and student bands amongst others.

SOURCE: The Phuket News

50 year old Chanapa Yuthiya has travelled from Chaiyaphum province to Pattaya, over 400 kilometres, to desperately search for her missing daughter. The grandmother has taken her 7 month old granddaughter along, after she says her daughter has been out of touch and unable to be reached since November 17.

Chanapa filed a complaint to Pattaya City police last Thursday after her 24 year old daughter Tevika Yuthiya went missing from an entertainment venue in the Pattaya area at about 8pm. Tevika was reportedly working at the venue, but her mother says she suffers from consciousness issues and mental disorders. Chanapa says her daughter has displayed reckless and unintentional behaviour in the past, which undoubtedly worries her more.

Furthermore, Chanapa says it is very rare to not speak with her daughter every day and after her daughter went quiet, she posted several pictures of her daughter on social media and has asked local media agencies for help. The latest in the case, according to Chanapa, is that Tevika is living with a man in Pattaya, but the man won’t say where and has refused to give his address. He further claimed that Tevika did not want to return home. The man’s nationality, age and name is not clear.

Chanapa expressed her concerns to the local media as she cried while saying that she wants her daughter to come back to meet her own daughter as everyone around them is very worried about her safety. She also states that if Tevika comes back, she will help her get treatment for her alleged mental disorder at a hospital. It is not known, however, why the man is saying that Tevika does not want to return home.

She stated that anyone who can help find her daughter or give clues, can contact the Pattaya Police in person or call the city call center at 1337.

SOURCE: The Pattaya News

The Pattaya Fireworks Festival is approaching with many hoping it will boost the economy over the upcoming weekend. Stacked with long fireworks shows and some hotels offering promotional fares for advance bookings, officials say they hope it will wake up the weekend as Thais and foreigners alike take part in the annual short list festival.

The festival runs over November 27 and 28.

Most hotels, particularly set on the beach, have created limited promotional room rates with some offering package deals. Pubs, restaurants, and food vendors will surely benefit from the festival as the international air travel restriction has made it difficult to keep their businesses alive.

SOURCE: The Pattaya News