BEACH football non-stop for 24 hours on Valentine's Day is one of the bright ideas being suggested to revitalise tourism on Phuket as the Andaman looks to a regional recovery.
A meeting of tourism leaders from Phuket and Phang Nga in Khao Lak was told today that rumors are rife that some resorts are already sending staff on leave without pay, or sacking a percentage.
However, the rumors have yet to be confirmed. Phuketwan will update with a complete report from this important fightback conference as soon as possible.
Beach football non-stop on Valentine's Day . . . why not? After all, for many Thais and people in neighboring countries, love is a round ball.
Immediate focus by the Phuket promoters to boost the island's tourism traffic will be on the 10 countries in the Asean region: Thailand itself, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei and Myanmar.
The Thai national football team is being invited for the 6am to 6am beach competition, Promchote Traivate, regional director of the Tourism and Sports Ministry, told Phuketwan today.
Four beaches are set to be involved: Patong, Surin, Nai Harn and Karon.
Given the local appeal of sport and sand, and based on the good feedback from the women's beach volleyball last month, the idea just might be a winner.
People in the resort business were talking up a range of ideas today in readiness for a meeting tomorrow at which the Governor, Dr Preecha Ruangjan, is likely to announce a package of self-help measures.
The most obvious and beneficial idea, bringing travel writers and tour operators to Thailand to see for themselves that the travel warnings are now nonsense, cannot be deployed.
The reason? It's already been done, after the first unprecedented invasion of Phuket International Airport back in late August. Nobody expected the People's Alliance for Democracy to do it again, but on a larger scale.
Now the forecast is more grim. One five-star apartment resort owner said that bookings for December had fallen by 60 percent and for January by 40 percent.
Mostly these were people with concerns about the uncertain politcial situation who did not want to be stranded in Thailand over Christmas or New Year.
Some resorts will be suffering more than others, depending on their core markets. Japanese and Koreans are considered less resilient than Russians and Australians, while Americans booking conferences have already given up on Phuket and Thailand.
The bulge in occupancy rates, brought on by trapped tourists who could not escape, will soon leave resorts with nowhere to go but down once the peak season ends early in the New Year.
While results will vary depending on marketing skills, tour tie-ins and chance, many resorts will struggle to retain their staff through the anticipated low, low, low season.
Events such as Chinese New Year will become much more important, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand will try to build broader national and regional interest as an imperative for survival.
The size and scale of financial aid from the government should become evident in the next few days.
Meanwhile, just what is the real story in Phuket's property world? There seem to be differences of opinion. A Phuketwan staffer came across this letter in the Bangkok Post today.
Puzzling Phuket picture
In the Spectrum cover story you opened with a piece on the political crisis having far-reaching implications for Southeast Asia as investors and tourists shy away from what they see as a land in turmoil. I agree.
I read it with interest as I know from my Koh Chang website there have been zero bookings since the airport crisis. I also know from a real estate agency I am involved with that there have only been a sprinkling of new enquiries over the last week or so. You have also reported hotel occupancy rates in Bangkok are now in single-digit figures.
I then read Nigel Cornick's view that real estate analysts (unspecified source) conclude the global economic slowdown will only have a short-term impact on its property sector (not according to the world's economic advisers); that supply shortage in Phuket has led to soaring prices (while in the West they're 25% or more down); that yields are realising 6-10% (when interest rates are heading towards a historically unprecedented rate of zero); and that global interest in Phuket has never been broader (when investors have withdrawn their positions to support local liquidity problems).
How can the editors of the Post really justify publishing such a self-edifying advertorial?
ARUN SINGH
A meeting of tourism leaders from Phuket and Phang Nga in Khao Lak was told today that rumors are rife that some resorts are already sending staff on leave without pay, or sacking a percentage.
However, the rumors have yet to be confirmed. Phuketwan will update with a complete report from this important fightback conference as soon as possible.
Beach football non-stop on Valentine's Day . . . why not? After all, for many Thais and people in neighboring countries, love is a round ball.
Immediate focus by the Phuket promoters to boost the island's tourism traffic will be on the 10 countries in the Asean region: Thailand itself, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei and Myanmar.
The Thai national football team is being invited for the 6am to 6am beach competition, Promchote Traivate, regional director of the Tourism and Sports Ministry, told Phuketwan today.
Four beaches are set to be involved: Patong, Surin, Nai Harn and Karon.
Given the local appeal of sport and sand, and based on the good feedback from the women's beach volleyball last month, the idea just might be a winner.
People in the resort business were talking up a range of ideas today in readiness for a meeting tomorrow at which the Governor, Dr Preecha Ruangjan, is likely to announce a package of self-help measures.
The most obvious and beneficial idea, bringing travel writers and tour operators to Thailand to see for themselves that the travel warnings are now nonsense, cannot be deployed.
The reason? It's already been done, after the first unprecedented invasion of Phuket International Airport back in late August. Nobody expected the People's Alliance for Democracy to do it again, but on a larger scale.
Now the forecast is more grim. One five-star apartment resort owner said that bookings for December had fallen by 60 percent and for January by 40 percent.
Mostly these were people with concerns about the uncertain politcial situation who did not want to be stranded in Thailand over Christmas or New Year.
Some resorts will be suffering more than others, depending on their core markets. Japanese and Koreans are considered less resilient than Russians and Australians, while Americans booking conferences have already given up on Phuket and Thailand.
The bulge in occupancy rates, brought on by trapped tourists who could not escape, will soon leave resorts with nowhere to go but down once the peak season ends early in the New Year.
While results will vary depending on marketing skills, tour tie-ins and chance, many resorts will struggle to retain their staff through the anticipated low, low, low season.
Events such as Chinese New Year will become much more important, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand will try to build broader national and regional interest as an imperative for survival.
The size and scale of financial aid from the government should become evident in the next few days.
Meanwhile, just what is the real story in Phuket's property world? There seem to be differences of opinion. A Phuketwan staffer came across this letter in the Bangkok Post today.
Puzzling Phuket picture
In the Spectrum cover story you opened with a piece on the political crisis having far-reaching implications for Southeast Asia as investors and tourists shy away from what they see as a land in turmoil. I agree.
I read it with interest as I know from my Koh Chang website there have been zero bookings since the airport crisis. I also know from a real estate agency I am involved with that there have only been a sprinkling of new enquiries over the last week or so. You have also reported hotel occupancy rates in Bangkok are now in single-digit figures.
I then read Nigel Cornick's view that real estate analysts (unspecified source) conclude the global economic slowdown will only have a short-term impact on its property sector (not according to the world's economic advisers); that supply shortage in Phuket has led to soaring prices (while in the West they're 25% or more down); that yields are realising 6-10% (when interest rates are heading towards a historically unprecedented rate of zero); and that global interest in Phuket has never been broader (when investors have withdrawn their positions to support local liquidity problems).
How can the editors of the Post really justify publishing such a self-edifying advertorial?
ARUN SINGH
