Phuket –
Phuket expects to generate more than a billion baht over the current four-day long holiday weekend, says the Phuket TAT office.
Ms. Nantasiri Ronsiri, the director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office, told The Phuket Express, “From May 13th to May 16th we have seen a significant increase in hotel room bookings on the island. Most are last-minute bookings. The average time of stay is at 2.49 nights. Rooms across the island have been fully booked on the first two nights of the holiday weekend and we expect similar results on Sunday and Monday.”
“The top areas for hotel bookings are near Patong Beach, Kamala Beach, Surin Beach, Kata Beach, Karon Beach and in Phuket Old Town,” Nantasiri added.
“About 100 domestic flights arrive at the Phuket International Airport each day with 15,000 domestic passengers per day, and we also are currently getting roughly 4,000 international passengers. We have predicted a total of 150,596 visitors to Phuket during these long holidays which we estimate will generate about 1.8 billion baht for the Phuket economy.” Nantasiri concluded.
Nantasiri attributed the increase in tourism not just to the holiday weekend but also to steadily relaxing Covid-19 restrictions. The Phuket Express notes that the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration, or CCSA, in Bangkok, is set to meet on Friday, May 20th, to discuss the potential of more easing of restrictions as Covid-19 cases continue to fall nationally. Some of the items possibly on the agenda are the unpopular Thailand Pass program for international arrivals and the legal opening of the bar and entertainment industry, currently operating as converted restaurants with early closing times.
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