The military government has taken a remarkable decision: beach beds and chairs are allowed again at the special 10 percent zone in Patong Beach.
This decision was made last Monday and beach beds appeared on Patong Beach the same day. It is expected that this will also apply to other beaches in Phuket.
The reason for this turnaround is that many tourists, especially the elderly, complained about the measure. Previously only mattresses and parasols were available in the 10 percent zone. The junta thought that the beach beds were not a pretty sight and wanted to return the beaches to the public.
According to army spokesman Maj Gen Pornsak, both tourists and landlords are happy with the new policy. The military is still holding back, it will first be a test. It is also remarkable that there is now no limit to the number of beds and chairs as long as they are placed in an orderly manner.
Source: The Nation
About this blogger
-
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.
Read the latest articles here
EconomyJanuary 15 2025Thailand to reach highest investment level in a decade in 2024
ResearchJanuary 15 2025Research shows: Dutch people prefer to save on health than on vacation
News from ThailandJanuary 15 2025Thailand makes visa program more attractive for international experts
News from ThailandJanuary 15 2025China bans import of durian from Thailand over banned chemicals
If you consider that in the past the entire beach was filled with beds, which were mostly inhabited, you will have to conclude that many tourists have disappeared, if only 10% of the beach is now used for beds.
Furthermore, renting the beds and umbrellas cost money, so a lot of money was never spent by tourists on the beach when the beds were not there.
To what extent it was published elsewhere is of course unknown.
But if those beds are now on 10% of the beach, only 10% is spent on the beach, of what used to be spent.
Maybe Phuket also wants more than just tourists who spend all day on the beach for 100 Baht and have a packed lunch with peanut butter sandwiches.
Without the beds, it is precisely those tourists that you now name that are attracted. And moreover, with beds, at least 100 Bath is earned per bed, in other words, visitors who lie on the beach with their own towel do not spend that 100 Bath anyway!
Even without these beach chair rental companies, Phuket is still much more expensive than Pattaya, for example, so that it is precisely these tourists who prefer to look for their holiday destination there.
The many cheaper Hotels, Restaurants and the difference between Bathbus and the mafia tuk tuk prices on Phuket certainly make it possible that they can also eat something more like a peanut butter sandwich.
And if you want to lie with your own bed instead of having to pay 6000 Bath pmnd for a couple. The price of renting 2 scooters and the rent of our house. We stay at least 4 months. in Thailand costs only 24000 Bath. Otherwise, if a local wants to go to the beach with his wife, it will cost almost a month's wages. Converted into euros, the minimum wage in the Netherlands € 1200 is ridiculous, isn't it. Well, it's raining new cars in Thailand, I think I know why.
All those new cars you see are from the bank.
I honestly think you can do this again, own chair / umbrella. Why not?
The reasoning is not entirely correct. There are holidaymakers who - out of necessity - went to lie on those sand piles at horribly high prices and who lay down on their towel in the sand (without a parasol). In any case, the fact is that many tourists have turned their back on Phuket with this (mis)policy. Hope that the test will be successful in the eyes of the policymakers and that tourism will return to the shape of about ten years ago.
Bert
PS I visit Patong Beach at least once a year; often twice and see the developments. Fortunately, with the rental of my apartment, little damage was done.
Why are these simple facilities arranged by the military, strange?
Too bad I thought it was right that the beach looked like a beach again and not a sanatorium. I am not the youngest at 56, but if I want to go to a bounty beach it should also look like this, but well others will think differently and if there is money to be made then idyllic arguments are quickly swept aside.
Confusing on Phuket.
On the Kata Beach, where there is also a ban on sun loungers and parasols, tourists came with their own equipment.
The vice mayor announced via a flyer that this was not allowed, but nothing was confiscated as happened elsewhere. A number of tourists complied, but a group of holidaymakers indicated that they wanted to end their holiday on Phuket prematurely.
Several indicated that they wanted to go to Myanmar.
Not for anything, but Thailand is MUCH bigger than Phuket. Phuket is, in my eyes, the Torremolinos of Thailand, replace the Thai heads with Spanish ones, and there is no difference. It is also not the "real" Thailand. Where I live, Trat province, several tens of kilometers of beach are still completely empty. EMPTY, yes, with a resort here and there for half the price of Phuket.
So if people want to lie next to each other like battery chickens, and then pay 6000 baht p/m for that, I think: have fun there, and give my share to Fikkie.
Totally agree. I live on the south side of the Gulf and the same applies here: only a small group of locals visit the hundreds of miles of beaches. Tourists prefer to lie with their head against the feet of another tourist.
It is understandable that the enormous proliferation of beach chairs and parasol rentals was mainly to blame for this general ban. Only that it takes so long to understand that an elderly tourist does not lie all day on a towel without an umbrella on the beach indicates how unworldly this Junta actually is. In such an important industry as tourism, one should already have had a different solution for the general ban. It's really not a piss off to say that the Thais often live in the present time, and can't or don't want to think ahead, although at least with a government you can have different expectations.
If many more Chinese charters fly to Phuket, and then the Russians who all want to lie or sit on pathong beach and it is not possible or not, maybe build grandstands or in shifts of three half-days, those junta guys can also go to Benidorm torremolinos go and have a look there they have been lying there since the 60 70 years without major problems with thousands against each other, they should also all have to pay
It has now been announced that booth chair rental is allowed again in the 10% zone throughout Phuket.