Phuket sees less beach goers so far on the first day of five long holidays, bad weather blamed

Phuket –

Not many beach goers were on Patong Beach today due to monsoon warnings and strong waves. Patong beach operators said their business income had decreased from before the holiday period but blamed it on the weather and not tourists.

The Phuket Express visited Patong Beach today (July 13th) which is the start of the long holidays.

Thailand has a five-day-long weekend as two Buddhist holidays are approaching on July 13th for Asanha Bucha Day and the 14th for the beginning of the Buddhist Lent while the 15th was announced by the government as a special holiday.

One of the beach operators told the Phuket Express, “Long holidays aside, this is low season and this time of year even well before Covid-19 has always been poor due to it being the monsoon season.”

The Thai Meteorological Department warns of heavy to very heavy rains in most parts of Thailand and strong wind and waves in the Andaman Sea including Phuket, from July 11th to the 14th.

“The weather is now not suitable for beach activities which is not lucky for us. However, we still see some foreign tourists walking along the beach. Most of them are Indians but they are not spending any money with beach vendors. Our businesses such as massage shops and restaurants near the beach are very quiet.” The beach vendor added.

Red flags have been raised on many Phuket beaches such as Paying Beach to warn beach goers and swimmers of strong winds and waves yesterday (July 12th). The red flags are expected to continue today, July 13th, in many areas.

“We hope there will be more foreign tourists before the end of this year in the high season, starting around late October.” The unnamed beach vendor concluded.

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Goongnang Suksawat
Goong Nang is a News Translator who has worked professionally for multiple news organizations in Thailand for many years and has worked with The Pattaya News for five years. Specializes primarily in local news for Phuket, Pattaya, and also some national news, with emphasis on translation between Thai to English and working as an intermediary between reporters and English-speaking writers. Originally from Nakhon Si Thammarat, but lives in Phuket and Krabi except when commuting between the three.