Beach of Patong Beach is undergoing metamorphosis
On July 9, the junta (NCPO) ordered a major clean-up on Patong Beach in Phuket. All businesses such as massage huts, small eateries and bars have been requested to leave the beach.
Patong Beach wants to be more accessible to tourists and thus reclaims large parts of the beach. The tourist attraction wants to be known again as one of the world's top tourist destinations.
Patong Beach is not the only one undergoing this change. Pattaya Beach, Surin Beach, Bang Tao Beach, Laypang Beach and Layan Beach are also busy cleaning the beaches and making them more attractive for tourists.
These actions are part of the military's plans to tackle corruption and the local mafia. For example, the taxis on Suvarnabhumi were previously scrutinized. The aim of these actions is to give Thailand a better reputation among foreign tourists.
Source: Thai Traffic office
About this blogger
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Known as Khun Peter (62), lives alternately in Apeldoorn and Pattaya. In a relationship with Kanchana for 14 years. Not yet retired, have my own company, something with insurance. Crazy about animals, especially dogs and music.
Enough hobbies, but unfortunately little time: writing for Thailandblog, fitness, health and nutrition, shooting sports, chatting with friends and some other oddities.
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Cleaning up the beach wasn't a bad idea.
I wonder if this isn't a bit of an exaggeration.
I don't think you make tourists so happy with this.
I hope they at least made the effort to fish all those plastic bags out of the seawater.
Would the NCPO have investigated this first?
Maybe tourists really like those huts on the beach.
And maybe tourists think that that crazy high tower in the middle of Patong should be demolished first.
Yes, tourists also like that you can buy off a 500 baht ticket from the traffic police for 100 or 200 baht. But it's not allowed. The NCPO does not have to investigate this.
Not according to the rules = not according to the rules.
What a wonderful Dutch response this is. Those beach chairs were always occupied by tourists with a drink, right?
I already see it in the holiday brochures:
” Phuket, wonderfully back in time! Where you can only sit on your towel on the beach. Bring your own food and drinks in your cool box ”
Any substantive connection with traffic fines eludes me.
Are there no more beach chairs? And what are the tourists supposed to sunbathe on?
There are no more beach chairs and there are no more umbrellas
There are no beach chairs or umbrellas anywhere in Phuket, not even on the private beach of the large hotel 'Le Meredien' in Karon.
GREAT that the taxis on Suvarnabhumi have been scrutinized!
It's no better here at Khon Kaen airport.
this mafia gang just wants to move tourists without a meter on!
From airport to downtown Khon Kaen (using meter) Bht 150.=
and without meter Bht 300.= or more!
Same thing with hospitals + department stores in Khon Kaen…
a long line of taxis from five to fifteen line up to meet their customers…
without using a taximeter of course!
I myself regularly visit the “Khon Kaen Hospital,
and from the hospital to where I live the cost is…
a; by public public bus…Bht 10.=
b; by tuk-tuk…Bht 30.- / Bht 50.=
c; taxi using meter ca…Bht 60.=
d; taxi without meter…Bht 100.= / Bht 200.=
Nice guys these taxi drivers who are mostly employed here in Khon Kaen.,
I personally know two of these big bosses!
A big entrepreneur from Pakistan, and another from India.
They own several dozen taxis,
and the same number of taxi drivers…from the province of the same name.
I have already complained to these two businessmen before
by also passing on the relevant taxi number.,
but in reply I got…the next complaint they will be fired,
and also from…it is just one bad apple in the basket…
to which I then said of…there are many bad apples in the basket.,
but you have to know for yourself, because with these many rotten drivers,
drive your car daily at a loss!
These rotten apples cheat their employer, pay no taxes,
and also refuel for free… and do not provide good services to the customers.
It's fine that there is rigorous intervention, but the beach chairs with umbrellas were not a superfluous luxury.
Now I just stay by the pool at my apartment instead of going to the beach.
Hope the chairs are back soon.
I have only been to Patong Beach about 20 times, also this year and always enjoyed it. At the nearest tent we got something to drink and eat and at the end of the day everything was settled, including the beds.
My wife occasionally had a massage there and sometimes did a pedicure / manicure. The many peddlers didn't bother me either. What does bother me is that the people who earned their income are now without bread
have become. Mind you, this is the bottom layer of the population who, by being present every day of the week, provided an income for many years in a row. Shame!
If there are no more beds and umbrellas, it is a very bare mess and has lost its charm. Have they also tackled the jet ski and parachute mafia?
PS does anyone know anything about Paradise Beach ? Ron.
Everyone has to abide by the Thai laws. Besides the farangs also the Thai citizens!
@Ron
Been to paradise beach today and the same everywhere, bare beaches but the jet skis and parachutes are still there.
Rudi
Heavily underrated Topic on this blog.
This measure could well be the salvation of Thai beach tourism!
The intention of the military of this measure is: “Give the beach back to the people”.
The beaches in Thailand are and were public domain, but due to corruption and land grabbing, they were completely covered with beach chairs, outbuildings, restaurants and all kinds of commercial demarcations and activities. If you were lucky on Patong, you could still walk down the beach along the tide line, meanwhile slaloming between the jet skis and at the same time looking up to see if you didn't get a parachute in your neck.
Huge amounts of money were 'earned' from this land grab by corrupt politicians, officials and businessmen. The fact that ordinary Thai people also made a living with the crumbs they received is not an argument to condemn these changes made by the army.
Do you want to “use” a beach (fill it with commerce), or “enjoy” a beautiful empty beach with palm trees? A beach where you can put your towel anywhere, without running the risk of a violent confrontation with a commercial operator.
The army intends to restore the beaches to the way they have always been depicted in the brochures. Who can be against that?
I understand that they want to tackle corruption, but the average tourist really doesn't want to lie on his towel on the beach and have to walk far for a juice or a beer!
Totally agree with Rina, I go to Patong beach every day in good weather (don't take a beach chair) and I have already spoken to several tourists who are used to renting a lounger, and they are not happy with the way things are going now. Older expats are also not so set up to sit on a towel in the sand under the hot sun. Yesterday I went to Nai Harn beach in Rawai and you just can't put a towel on the beach because of the rubbish on it, the beaches used to be kept clean by the seat renters, but now nobody bothers to put anything on it. clean up. I am sure this is not a good thing for beach tourism in Phuket.
Rudi
It is now low season.
I wonder what will happen when the high season comes.
If this arrangement still exists by then, I foresee an extremely polluted beach and tourists moving elsewhere.
This unless the government has the beach cleaned daily, but they have never bothered to do that.
This while it costs almost nothing to remove the waste from the beach and from the water once a day early in the morning.
And all those beach chairs were always occupied.
So apparently there was a demand for it.
I can't imagine a beach without beds and umbrellas.
Do I have to go get my drinks from the 7-eleven like the Russians?
@Phet
No, you can also go to family market 😉
Removing all beach chairs and small tents seems to me an extremely "stupid" way to clear a beach of tradesmen and customer unfriendly towards visitors! I just enjoyed my beach chair and the landlady was not too bad to get us a bite to eat and also always had a nice cold beer in the freezer! If this kind of activity turns out to be out of control, why not a dosed licensing system? It prevents a holidaymaker from having to drag along a beach chair and a cool box, moreover, try to cross safely from the boulevard to the beach with your handful of cool box, parasol and beach chair if you also have one or more children with you. have!. Moreover, every tourist now has to buy his own beach chair? The measure seems to me a perfect way to scare away tourists? I know I wouldn't go to that beach again!
Let's just assume that there will soon be a licensing system with a maximum number of seats.
For the jet ski and parasailing it is possible end of practice, unless they are assigned their own piece of beach.
I won't miss them, because those little fenced off pieces of water where you could swim safely were a mockery to me.
I assume it will not be the intention to kill tourism.
I still expect regulation of the bars and discos.
We are always on the gay beach (near the tsunami tower) because it is always cozy here.
You can rent a beach chair with umbrella, you can get a massage on site, you can eat there, etc.
I'm not going to Thailand to lie by a pool.
If all this goes away I will most certainly only stay on the beach for a very short time and my
vacation need to adjust.