Tuesday TRENDS
THE LOMA PARK restaurant centre on the beachfront in Patong is now closed, surrounded by green screen and no longer offering tasty food at a low price.
It all looks a bit dowdy today, with the tenants gone and grass overflowing from the rooftop gutters.
Yet the food here was among the best and least expensive in Patong.
Shut down too is the large toilet block alongside the restaurants.
By high season, Phuketwan has been told, the Loma Park restaurant area will be buzzing again day and night after a 12 million baht renovation and remake.
Supphasit Utairat, head of the architecture and public works division of the Patong Tessaban, said the centre closed about a week ago and would reopen before December.
''The Loma Park area will look as though it is part of a classy resort,'' he said. ''This will be a much more modern and attractive design.''
The newly-created Loma Park dining centre will also attract diners at night for the first time.
Loma's makeover will reduce the number of restaurants from 48 to 24, so we hope the good ones survive. And we dream a Patong dream that leaves the old prices unchanged.
Closed as well is the large toilet block alongside the restaurants. They are being renovated, too.
Khun Supphasit says another large toilet block sits not far away, opposite the Gracelands resort, so beachgoers should not be caught short.
A tourist information centre will be included in the Loma Park development, he said.
Meanwhile, the old Patong is rapidly disappearing. We can only hope the one thing that is retained will be the good prices.
Gary Glitter's Big Day Out
TODAY is the release day from jail in Vietnam for former '70s glam pop star Gary Glitter, who has in modern times become a poster boy of a different kind.
Glitter these days is held up as an example of the kind of sex tourist whose activities in Asia should be discouraged.
The 63-year-old will be completing a 27 month sentence, served for molesting girls aged 11 and 12.
The British government has been criticised this week in a report by Ecpat UK (End Child Prostitution in Asia Tourism) for not restricting travel by child sex offenders.
Ecpat told the BBC that ''tools to protect children abroad'' were not used by authorities, with only five British sex offenders prosecuted for child sex abuse abroad since 1997.
Ecpat said that between 2006 and 2008, at least 15 British nationals were charged in Thailand alone for the sexual abuse of children.
Although other destinations are usually more prominent, Ecpat literature always lists Phuket as a centre where children are involved in prostitution.
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TRENDS
every day, Monday to Friday, at Phuketwan. It's essential reading. To tell us your news, email bigislandmedia@gmail.com or telephone 081 6513489.Latest
TRENDS
from Phuketwan:August 18
Construction cranes dot the skyline as Phuket sprouts a brace of new resorts. One of the most prominent has the rare advantage of being on the beach at Karon; Sunshine Coast seeks tourists; Telling all about tips.
Centara's 1.8 Billion Baht Phuket Grand Grows
August 15
Volunteers working with police to control traffic and crime, plus bicycles, helicopters and cameras: that's the making of the police plan for Phuket's security and safety; a record triathlon; Amari man moves on.
Phuket's Volunteer Police Plan to Fight Crime
August 14
Phuket wants more money than the national government can spare, so a noted economist recommends a tax on tourists. Going it alone could be Phuket's only option; The Russian holiday system explained
Phuket Tourist Tax What The Island Needs
August 13
The only turtles seen at Patong recently have been the plastic ones in the beachfront park. But that could change before long. The Royal Thai Navy reports the remarkable revival of the region's turtle population.
Phuket's Turtles Are Coming Back At Last
August 11
Funding for tourism in Thailand is more about take than give, a promising new Andaman destination discovers; Thaksin leaves spare seats for lucky tourists; Firefly soars on turbo; a motto for the masses
Budget Cuts Hurt New Andaman Destination
August 8
A meeting on Racha saves the island's coral, delivering an eight million baht artificial reef, a zoning system to keep divers and fishing trawlers apart, bans aimed at protecting the natural environment, and hope for other endangered reefs and islands.
Money Dispute Brings Change At Chalong Pier
August 7
More Australians than ever are heading overseas, latest statistics reveal. And that's great for Phuket right now; Nok Air returns but Thai budget lines do it tough; Buffalo festival this weekend.
Money Dispute Brings Change At Chalong Pier
August 6
A row about income from fees at Chalong Pier has led to action by the Phuket authority in charge; Coming soon, yet another luxury five-star for Phuket; Guess how many homes are empty in the US?
Money Dispute Brings Change At Chalong Pier
August 5
Phuket resorts now face the nightmare of having group bookings that cannot be confirmed because no seats are available on flights to Phuket. Visitors from China, Taiwan and Singapore are going elsewhere because of the air crisis
Phuket Air Crisis: China, Taiwan Tourists Turned Away
August 4
Low season usually means a relaxed time for island residents. With tourists unable to gain quick flight bookings and supermarket prices going through the roof, this one is a horror story. Which brings us to Zimbabwe.
Phuket Inflation Growing, Flights Hard To Find
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